Another Granger
by Emeria-Cori
Summary: When Hermione's little sister, Haylie, begins at Hogwarts, she easily makes new friends...as well as enemies. She soon begins receiving letters from an anonymous enemy, and she must unlock the mystery before she, her friends, and her family are killed...
1. Hermione and Haylie

"Mother!" Haylie Granger jumped out of bed and flew through the door and down the hall to her parents' room. Her father and mother lay there sleeping quietly. Haylie sighed and ran over to shake her mother's shoulders violently.

"What? Is something wrong Haylie? Are you okay? Is Hermione okay?" her mother gasped, looking terrified.

"Yeah! Do we get to go to Diagon Alley again this year?" Haylie asked, her hopes rising. Her mother fell back onto her pillow, breathing steadily. Once she had gotten herself back together she smiled at Haylie and nodded.

"Yes dear. Once we get Hermione's letter we'll visit Diagon Alley." Mrs. Granger glanced at her clock and waved her daughter away.

"Now go back to bed." Haylie nodded and walked slowly down the hall to her room, smiling brightly. Hermione waited outside her room, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed.

"Did something happen?" Hermione, her older sister, said. Haylie grinned and ran into her room. Hermione just rolled her eyes and entered her own room, filled with books and pictures of her best friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Haylie's room, though, was very different. CDs, clothes, and posters of Robbie Williams hung on all inches of the walls. Unlike Hermione, Haylie hadn't gained magic powers, which was common. Most likely, Muggles wouldn't have two magic children. Haylie hopped onto her bed and pulled the covers over herself once again. She had always wished she could be a witch like her older sister, but for some reason she had never showed signs of magic. She smiled as she thought about her eleventh birthday, which was the very next day.

"Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!" Haylie sang, as she skipped down the steps toward the kitchen. When she entered Hermione was sitting at the table reading a book, and her mother was frying bacon.

"Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!" she finished, pulling out the wooden chair at the end of the table next to Hermione.

"Happy birthday Hay!" Hermione reached over and gave her little sister a big hug. Haylie pulled back and smiled. Their mother walked over, a huge stack of pancakes drowned in syrup wobbled on the large plate she held in her hands. Then she carried over a pan of bacon and sausage and then finally omelets, filled with cheese and tomatoes. Haylie and Hermione glanced at each other and dug in.

"Thanks mum!" Haylie cried, dumping the bacon on her plate. Her mother stood, proudly, watching them eat and then sat down.

"Well girls I have a special surprise for you…" she pulled out an envelope and Haylie shrieked, "Here you go Hermione. I guess we will be making a trip to Diagon Alley today!" Hermione snatched the letter and tore it open as Haylie clapped happily.

"Sixth year is going to be great," Hermione said, putting the letter in her pocket, "but it won't come cheap, as usual." Haylie sighed.

"Don't be such a party pooper!" Hermione glared at her.

"You don't even know the meaning of money, you're only ten!" Hermione growled, pierced the pancakes with her fork.

"I'm eleven!" Haylie shouted back, stabbing her sausage.

"Would you two stop!" Their father walked in. Hermione and Haylie both shut their mouths and straightened in their seats, looking down at their plates. Mr. Granger walked to the table and sat down. All were quiet. He peered around the circular table and shrugged.

"What?" he asked, a slight smile appearing at the edge of his mouth. All the women just shook their heads.

"She is calling me ten!" Haylie screamed, pointing to Hermione.

"Oh, grow up!" Hermione answered, picking up her book and opening it.

"You girls are rather annoying," their father said, "did you give Hermione her letter yet?" Mrs. Granger nodded. He reached over and ruffled Hermione's bushy brown hair.

"Another year huh? I'm sure you'll have fun with Harry and Ron." Hermione smiled. They continued to eat as Hermione retold her many stories about Hogwarts.

"And then Lavender said…." Hermione babbled on and on. Haylie just put her head in her hands and listened intently. Suddenly, after her story about the "Weasley is our King" song, Hermione grabbed Haylie's arm and pulled her out of her seat.

"Come help me pack!" they ran up the stairs and into Hermione's room, where they started to frantically pull the clothes out of the drawers.

"You're so lucky Hermione! You get to practice your magic and you get to ride on brooms and everything!" Haylie glanced at the picture of Hermione with Harry and Ron, " Plus you have two great friends, who are extremely hot as well! I fancy the red haired one, but Harry is not so bad looking at all!" Hermione's jaw dropped and she started to laugh.

"First, that is so weird to think about, second, they are way too old for you… and they're my best friends!" Hermione said, still laughing.

"They aren't my best friends, so it really doesn't matter does it?" Haylie answered, smiling as she folded Hermione's robes and placed them in the huge black suitcase. Suddenly, Haylie heard a tapping. Her head jerked to the left, where she saw a tiny owl pecking at the window.

"Hermione!" Haylie yelled. Hermione looked over at the window and ran across the room. She opened the closed window and the owl flew in, dropping the letter to the ground. Hermione bent over and picked the white envelope of her carpet and carefully ripped it open. As she read, her eyebrows rose higher and then higher. At one point towards the end of the letter Hermione glanced up at her little sister and smiled. Once Hermione finished she handed the letter to Haylie.

"It's for you," Hermione said, going back to packing. Haylie read the letter and started to shake. It was out of happiness though, not fear.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Miss Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

"Omigoodness!" Haylie wailed, "I'm a witch! I'm a witch! I'm going to Hogwarts with you! Oh no! It's July 28! I have to get that owl to them now!" Haylie rushed down the stairs, followed closely by Hermione. She ran through the doorway to the kitchen and flung the letter at her father.

"I'm a witch! I'm a witch! I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to be like Hermione!" Haylie screamed, jumping up and down, "But I need to get an owl! Now! I have to send them a letter before its too late!" Hermione glanced between her parents and found that they didn't look upset or happy. They just stared at the letter, and glanced back and forth to each other as if to ask each other if it was okay. Then they smiled.

"Congratulations Haylie! Another witch in the family!" her father said, smiling and giving her a quick hug. Her mother followed his lead and they were all immediately discussing their plans.

"So Haylie can use Hermione's old books…"Mrs. Granger was saying, calculating prices in her head.

"But we have to get Haylie a new cauldron and a wand and robes and…" Mr. Granger added, also adding numbers silently.

"Can I have an owl? Or a cat like Hermione!" Haylie yelled, smiling. Mrs. Granger gave her a weak smile.

"Maybe for Christmas dear. I don't think we will have enough money to extras after we buy everything we need…" Mrs. And Mr. Granger continued to discuss their plans and options as Haylie and Hermione made their way up to Haylie's room to begin packing.

"You really need to clean this room," Hermione mumbled, picking up a dirty sock and throwing it on Haylie's bed. Haylie grinned and dragged her chair to the closet and tried to find her suitcase. Hermione was already pulling out all the clothes Haylie would need for her first year at Hogwarts. After Hermione had finished she ran into her room to gather her old first year books that were placed on one of her bookshelves. When she jerked the first year transfiguration book out, the dust that had collected on the books flew in the air and entered her nostrils. Hermione sneezed three times and her hands flew through the air.

"Ew." Hermione whispered, wiping the dust off with a paper towel. Besides the thick layer of dust, her first year books looked brand new. Then Haylie walked with her full suitcase.

"So… where are my books?" Haylie looked way too excited for a child going to school. Hermione handed her a pile of leather bound books and walked over to her own, half-full, suitcase and continued to pack. She took the pictures that stood in frames on her nightstand off it and placed them carefully in tissue paper, then tucked them under some clothes.

"You are always so careful," Haylie sighed, throwing her books in her suitcase, "Live a little!" Hermione rolled her eyes and continued to carefully place all her belongings in her suitcase. How could she live a whole year with her sister at Hogwarts?


	2. Meeting Harry and Ron

Diagon Alley was a rush of people, as always, when the Granger family arrived. Children were running around throwing candy apples at each other, while the parents were chasing around trying to get everything bought and ready. Unlike their little siblings or parents, the teenage witches and wizards were gathered in little groups, talking and laughing about the year to come. Just then Hermione spotted a tall boy with red hair talking with a slightly shorter boy with dark brown hair and a shiny scar among his forehead.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, running to where they stood, "Ron!" With Haylie right on her heels, she hugged each of them and then introduced her little sister.

"Harry, Ron this is my little sister Haylie," Hermione said, putting an arm around her sisters shoulder, " and she will surprisingly be starting Hogwarts this year." Harry and Ron smiled at Haylie.

"Hi," Harry said.

"Hey", Ron added, shaking her hand. Haylie blushed and continued stare at Ron as they went through the different shops to buy the usual supplies. Their first stop was the bookstore, where they did, by far, the most shopping. Haylie had most of her books already from Hermione, but she still needed some added books. As Ron and Harry walked over to the "6th year" book shelf, Hermione helped Haylie find her new books.

"Ok, Hay, we need _Practice Potions_, and _The Salem Witch Trials Studies_," Hermione mumbled as she searched the many bindings of the brand new books on the shelves. Haylie's eyebrows rose.

"What are the Salem witch trials?" Haylie asked, grabbing the book and observing the cover.

"Well, in America a long time ago people were accused of being witches and were taken to the gallows," Hermione said, still searching for the other book.

"What are the gallows?" Haylie asked, dumbfounded. Hermione sighed and leaned against the bookshelf.

"The gallows are where people get hung." Haylie gasped as her older sister said this.

"Witches got hung?" Haylie whispered, looking frightened. Hermione's face softened.

"Well, I'm not sure if they were really witches or not and that was hundreds of years ago, so you have nothing to worry about little sis, "Hermione reached out and ruffled Haylie's hair, not so different from her own. Haylie looked down at the book for a few seconds and then became her usual, active self, again.

"I'm going to go talk to Harry and Ron," Haylie turned to leave, but decided to add something else, "Ron is so much hotter in person!" As Haylie hurried over to the other side of the store, Hermione rolled her eyes. Haylie looked very similar to Hermione, but not exactly. Haylie had Hermione's bushy light brown hair and her pale skin. On the other hand Haylie was a live wire, always jumping and having fun. She had blue eyes and a pretty smile. Besides those things Haylie was really like her sister, from her looks to her love of books and homework.

"Gotcha!" Hermione pulled _Practice Potions_ off the shelf and went to join her friends and sister. When she walked up behind Haylie she overheard Haylie talking to Ron about jokes.

"Oh I love playing jokes too!" Haylie laughed, put her hands in the air, "They are so fun! Maybe we could play a joke on Hermione sometime." Ron smiled and glanced up at Hermione, who was tapping her foot on the linoleum floor. Just then Haylie realized her sister was standing behind her, obviously annoyed.

"I'm going to talk to Harry now," Haylie mumbled, rushing away. Hermione sighed and put her forehead up against the cold wall.

"Oh Hermione, she's cute! Don't get all annoyed at her. After all she is a little kid," Ron said, laughing. Hermione glared at him.

"You don't know my sister," Hermione raised her head away from the wall and started flipping through the pages of the book in her hand. When she didn't continue, Ron started to turn to walk away. She saw this and grabbed his arm. He turned, obviously surprised.

"I mean, she is such a little suck up. Plus she is a smart-mouth and has a disregard for the rules, and she always gets great grades and she brags about them and she is just so…"Hermione listed, counting on her fingers.

"So much like _you_?" Ron questioned, a sly smile appearing at the corner of his lips. Annoyed, Hermione pushed past Ron and walked over to Ginny, who was chatting with Luna Lovegood. She waved lightly and listened in on their conversation.

"Oh hey Hermione… well anyway I heard her talking about it to Lavender," Ginny was whispering, "Draco's cousin is coming to Hogwarts and supposedly she is worse than he is!"

"Is that possible?" Luna asked, her eyes looking like two huge saucers.

"I didn't believe it at first until I saw her outside!" Ginny cringed.

"Who are you talking about?" Hermione asked, desperately trying to get her mind off her bratty little sister.

"Draco Malfoy's younger cousin is coming to Hogwarts as a first year! Her named is Rose Forbes! She is really pretty though? How could someone who is related to the Malfoys be pretty?" Ginny exclaimed, her nose scrunching up.

"Where is she?" Luna asked, looking around, way too enthusiastic. Ginny peered around for a moment and then jumped and her finger flew through the air and narrowly missed Hermione face.

"Right there! The one in the purple!" Ginny cried, still pointing at a young girl looking through a book. Hermione glanced over and saw the girl look up and talk to a woman at the front desk. Ginny was certainly right, Rose was pretty. Scary enough she reminded Hermione of a rose, one of the white roses that always seemed so clean and gentle. Her skin was pale, but perfect, and her hair was a silky, snowy blond that reflected beams of light when the sun shone on it. The locks of hair seemed to glitter, and when she flipped it back, no hair was out of place, just soft.

"Look at that hair! It looks so much like Draco's, only better! I wish I had that hair!" Ginny sighed, twisting a piece of her own fiery red hair between her fingers.

"Could she be a Veela?" Luna asked, admiring her own hair.

"No." Hermione said, still watching Rose carefully. Then suddenly Draco came out of nowhere and grabbed a hold of Rose's arm. The girl tried to pull away, but Draco dragged her out of the store. The girls frowned, but just shrugged the event off.

"Ready to go?" Harry said tapping Hermione on the shoulder. She nodded and gestured for the rest to follow. They made their way out into the bright sunny day once again, a walked down the busy streets.

"I want to go in there! Oh and there to! This is so great!" Haylie exclaimed running from each store to the next. By the end of the day Haylie had rested her head against the car door and fell asleep as the Grangers drove back to their home. The whole mini-van was filled with bags and suitcases and people. Ron and Harry sat beside Hermione, talking about everything.

"Year 6! Only one more year after this till it's all over!" Ron yelled, shooting his fist in the air. Hermione glared at him but Harry nodded.

"I have enjoyed Hogwarts and I don't want to leave," Hermione turned her nose up into the air, and looked out her window.

"Oh come on Hermione. I'm sure you get tired of it once in a while," Harry said, smiling. Hermione shook her head fiercely, causing her just brushed hair to tangle.

"Well after a year with your sister, I'm sure you will," Ron added, pointing to Haylie.

"I don't know, maybe having her around will be nice," Hermione shrugged, staring at her sleeping sister, "I mean, I always miss her a lot when I'm here."

"Really? Cause I don't miss Fred or George at all!" Ron exclaimed, looking surprised. Hermione smiled, knowing he was lying through his teeth. Harry, clearly, noticed it too.

"Oh yes you do! You've sent them letters 5 times a day all summer," Harry laughed.

"Whatever," Ron mumbled. The rest of the ride went smoothly and the Granger family and Ron and Harry got to the house and started to put all their new supplies in their suitcases.

"It's good your parents let you guys come with us," Haylie told Harry and Ron, as she led them to their room. The spare room was pretty small and Haylie wondered how both boys would possibly squeeze into this little space.

"You two can't possibly fit in here! I'm going to talk to Hermione," Haylie cryed, frowning. The boys shrugged and stood and waited. Haylie sprinted down the hallway, which caused her to be somewhat out of breath when she reached her sister's room. Hermione looked up from her magazine and her eyebrows furrowed.

"What now Hay?" she asked, sighing.

"How can both Ron and Harry fit into that tiny room?" Haylie yelled, too overexcited.

"Geez, sis! Calm down! Why don't you ask one of them to sleep in my room," Hermione started to pick up her magazine once again. Haylie's eyes widened.

"You mean with you?!" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. Hermione noticed the creamy, sky blue nail polish that covered her sister's fingernails and she jumped off the bed, very angry.

"No! I would sleep in here with you and they would get my room and is that my nail polish?" Hermione screamed, her eyes watering and her hands shaking. Obviously noticing Hermione was more than just irritated, she shook her head denying her sin.

"That is mine! I told you not to go through my stuff Haylie! Haylie Emma Granger you will give my nail polish back to me now!" Hermione's voice changed and became deeper as her mood grew foggier. Haylie ran out of the room, knowing she was in big trouble. Only when Hermione was truly angry did she call Haylie by her first and middle name. The screaming of both girls could be heard from the guest bedroom, where Ron and Harry were clicking through the many channels on the old black and white television. Ron was amazed.

"This is great! Who is that?" Ron asked, his eyes popping out of their sockets. Harry had to smile as he looked into the face of the celebrities on the television that he knew his friends knew nothing about.

Ron smiled, but both boys suddenly jumped from their seats when Hermione and Haylie ran in and Hermione attempted to steal the small, breakable nail polish bottle away. Unfortunately, something horrible happened before she could succeed.


	3. Haylie's First Enemy

"Ah!" Both girls screamed jumping backwards. The room was silent, except for the promising words from Kristin on the screen, "I won't let you go, I love you Clark."

"You broke my nail polish," Hermione whispered calmly, though Ron and Harry could see the fiery growing inside her, waiting to explode. The boys peered down at the pure white carpet, not even one spec of dirt had attached itself to the carpet yet, it was so new. Now, though, the brisk white hue carpet was now sprayed with shiny blue nail polish, and pieces of shattered glass were shining in the light.

"You broke my _new_ nail polish, on our _new_ carpet, so, you, little sister, will clean this up," Hermione yelled, her fingers curled into meaningless fists. Haylie's nose started to twitch, and her mouth started to shrink slightly. Then her eyes became red as a tiny drop of water flowed from her eyes, soon followed by many more until she was bawling her eyes out. Hermione's face fell, but she stood her ground, not moving at all. After about two minutes Hermione got down on the ground and hugged her little sister who was still crying.

"Come on Harry! It shouldn't take this long to put on socks!" Hermione yelled, as she gathered her suitcases and began to hoist them down the narrow steps of her home. Ron, for once, stood at the door, miraculously ready for the trip to the London train station. Hermione dropped the two suitcases in her hand with a _thud_, and wiped her forehead, briefly.

"Too much work for ya Hermione? Don't tell me you're gonna be one of those, annoying girls who sweat after walking ten feet!" Ron joked, a small smile lighting up his face. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"No, I am fully capable of traveling ten feet without sweating," Hermione exclaimed, raising her arm and pushing a loose piece of hair back into its place, "Though, I'm very worried you may not."

"I'm a man, Herm! I can run and walk faster, longer, and much more…enthusiastically than you ever could," Ron said. Hermione's mouth dropped open and she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh really? Ron you are not a man yet! You're only 16. And I could beat you in a race any day of the week."

"Sure." Ron laughed as Harry and Haylie both ran down the stairs with their own heavy suitcases.

"What are you two fighting about this time?" Harry asked, dropping his suitcase with an even louder _thud_ than Hermione's.

"Oh you know. Ron says he's a man. I say no," Hermione glanced at Ron and continued to talk to Harry," then he said he could run longer, faster…and what was the third one again?"

"Enthusiastically, and I am a man…"Ron answered, interrupted.

"Thank you, enthusiastically more than me! I say no, once again." Hermione finished, taking one last triumphant glance at her audience, lifting her bags off the floor, and strutting out the door toward the car.

"Does she always talk like that when she's around you guys?" Haylie questioned, brushing her curly hair. Harry smiled.

"No, only when Ron's around." Harry then ventured out the door and towards the open doors of the car. Haylie giggled as she continued to stare at Ron as she, also, ran out the door. Ron threw his hands in the air and grabbed his suitcases.

"I just can't win!" He yelled as he turned and closed the wooden door, ready for his train ride to his sixth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Lets go in here," Harry said, pointing to an empty compartment, as the train started its engines and plunged forward. Everyone piled in the tiny little room and began to unpack some of their things to keep them occupied for the trip to Hogwarts. Harry had brought his travel size Wizard's chess game to play with Ron. Both of them were cheering or booing as they continued with their strategies. Hermione brought a copy of _Sugar_ magazine and Haylie took out her makeup kit and began applying tons of lip-gloss and blush. Soon, a knock at the door made everyone jump in the seats. At the door was Ginny and Luna Love good.

"Can we come in?" Luna whispered, her voice emerging in a singsong tone. A chorus of "Sures" and "Yeahs" came from the compartment inhabitants. Ginny pushed the sliding door out of the doorway as both girls joined the others. A sweet aroma tickled Haylie's nose and she at once recognized it.

"Who is wearing Love Spell?" Haylie immediately asked, looking from one girl to another, her nose high in the air. Hermione's shook her head in annoyance and continued to stick her nose in the magazine.

"I am," Luna raised her hand in the air and swung it around enthusiastically.

"Oh I love that fragrance! Which kind is it?" Haylie questioned, still sniffing the air, "I'm wearing my favorite right now. Lilac is the best flower scent available!" Luna smiled, reaching into her take-on bag and pulling out a small perfume bottle. Haylie snatched it from her hands and decided to spray herself.

"It's plum-berry," Luna said shyly, her cheeks blushing slightly. The smell spread throughout the whole compartment and Harry and Ron started to mock choke. They grabbed at their necks violently and slumped over each other, their eyes closed. Ginny laughed and slapped Ron's back so hard, a distinct crack could be heard. He jumped up and clutched his back, glaring at his little sister.

"Too bad I don't have a little sister," Harry joked, crossing his arms over her chest, "We could have a party!"

"Welcome first years! I'm Hagrid," Hagrid's deep voice boomed and he towered over the small children before him. All the first years gazed up at the giant, clearly amazed at his height.

"Now all of ya's let's get into those small boats just around the corner and we'll be off toward Hogwarts!" All the eleven year olds followed him, including Haylie. They walked very quietly and answered Hagrid's every command. Some of them were just used to following orders, but most of them were terrified of Hagrid. Haylie jumped into the first boat and smiled at all her fellow classmates as they got in as well.

"I need one more for this boat," Hagrid yelled, pointing to Haylie's boat. For a couple seconds no one appeared, but then a small girl with long blond hair gracefully climbed in a sat between Haylie and a boy named Elvin. Ear length blond hair wavered around Elvin's head and he had thin square glasses that constantly seemed to fall to the tip of his nose. The one great feature about his body was his eyes; they stared back at Haylie with a glow of orange. This glow of fiery orange, was not just a shade of brown tinted with specks of pumpkin, but seemed to show a blazing fire in the deep night.

"Rose Forbes?" Haylie gasped. The girl turned her head slightly to look at Haylie.

"Yes, that is me," she mumbled briskly, not smiling. Haylie grinned and reached out her manicured hand to shake Rose's.

"I'm Haylie Granger," Haylie replied, putting on her brightest smile. Rose didn't move at all, just looked straight ahead into the black night. Finally realizing that Rose obviously did not want to talk, Haylie lowered her arm and placed it in her lap. The whole ride was quiet and all the first years just stared at each other, as if they all had to study their future friends. The silvery moon smiled back at them, splashing its light all over for miles.

"Hey everyone, do you want to play a game?" Haylie asked, hoping someone would answer her offer. To her surprise that someone was Rose.

"Sure," Rose now turned to look at Haylie and clapped her hands loudly. Her long hair fell into her eyes and she quickly pushed it away so she could see everyone clearly. Haylie bit her lip and decided it would be wonderful to finally break the ice between them.

"What do you want to play?" Elvin murmured, his square glasses falling to the tip of his nose. He pushed them back up and peered up at the girls. Haylie looked at all the people in the boat. There were six total.

"Let's learn everyone's names first, since we'll have to live with each other for the next," Haylie paused for a moment, "seven years." They all nodded and sat up in their seats.

"Who wants to go first?" Rose asked. Nobody raised their hands to volunteer. Haylie shook her head and shot her hand through the cool air. Rose pointed at her and told her to go ahead.

"Okay everyone," Haylie giggled, "I am Haylie Granger. I have one older sister named Hermione and I love perfume. Also, I have a boyfriend named….Ron." Haylie smiled deviously, and hoped they would all believe her. She looked at each face to see if any reaction appeared. Rose's eyebrows rose and Elvin's face fell.

"You…you have a boyfriend?" he whispered, looking slightly upset. Haylie wondered why.

"Yes, his name is Ron Weasley," Haylie said.

"You mean that red-haired kid?" one of the guys shouted. Haylie nodded, still continuing her lie.

"That is enough of me everyone!" Haylie said, looking at Rose, "How about you Rose?"

"Well, fine then," Rose gulped and smoothed her hair behind her back, "I am Rose Forbes. I have a cousin in this school named Draco Malfoy. I also love perfume and makeup and anything that will make me look beautiful." Haylie could hear the boy who had spoken earlier whispering to his friend.

"She doesn't need any makeup," he whispered and they both laughed. He had light brown hair and a handsome smile. His eyes were a deep brown and he definitely was one of the hottest boys Haylie had ever seen, but she knew he was obviously stuck on himself.

"What about you boy," Haylie frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. She absolutely needed to know this pig's name.

"Okay, hun," he said smoothly, "I am Damon Shockley. I have two older brothers and a younger sister and I _love_ hot girls named Haylie." He turned to his friend and they high-fived laughing so much everyone thought they were going to fall off the boat. _How pathetic_, Haylie thought, her blue eyes narrowing.

"Too bad Haylie doesn't _love_ you back," she snapped, giving him a hard stare. Damon immediately stopped laughing. Rose was giggling next to her.

"Who's next?" Haylie yelled, refusing to look at Damon. Elvin raised his hand and pushed his glasses back to the top of his nose.

"I am Elvin Danebridge," he said shyly, "and I have no brothers or sister. I love to brew potions and I hope to make it on the Quidditch team."

"Yeah right skinny," Damon's friend replied, laughing. Haylie whipped around, angrier than ever.

"Don't make me use magic on you!" Haylie growled, standing up with her wand in hand, " My sister got O's on _four_ of her O.W.L.S and the last one was only one level down. So I suggest that you be quiet before I have to use the defense spells she taught me!"

"Fine lady! Geez, take a chill pill!" he said. Haylie, satisfied with her performance and his answer, turned back to Elvin.

"That's great Elvin, I'm sure you'll make it," Haylie smiled, "After all, Ronny is the Keeper on the Gryffindor team." Elvin gave her a weak smile. She moved on and she decided to get the name of the second pig on the boat.

"What about you," Haylie pointed at Damon's friend. He had blond hair that was formed into soft curls. His eyes were the same color as Damon's.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he said roughly.

"You are so pathetic! What is it with you two?" Haylie screamed, not believing what she was hearing, "Just answer the stupid question!" She stomped her foot and the boat shook.

"My name is Brent Clayton," he said, staring at Rose as if he was ordering her to remember his name, "and it means Gods gifts to the world." Haylie laughed.

"Get over yourself," Haylie, still laughing now turned to the last girl sitting next to Elvin.

"I am Natalie Conway," she put her strawberry blond hair up into a pony tail, "I'm a muggle-born witch. I have one younger brother who is six." Natalie was pretty. She had shoulder length strawberry blond hair that was perfectly straight and intense, large hazel eyes.

"Good, so everyone is acquainted," Rose asked. Everyone nodded. Two minutes later their boat halted and they looked up at the dark castle before them.

"Wow," Natalie whispered in awe. Haylie couldn't help smiling and took a moment to take in the beautiful sight of all the lights coming from all corners of the building and its wonderful stone furnish. Just then someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and found herself looking into the blue eyes of Elvin.

"Will you walk with me when we go inside?" Elvin mumbled, still looking very shy and nervous. Haylie could feel her cheeks beginning to flush as she nodded her head yes. Elvin looked delighted and he grabbed her hand to pull her forward.

"Oh look Brent," Damon yelled, pointing to Haylie and Elvin's hands, "They're holding hands. You two going up to the rooms to get down and dirty."

"No Damon," Haylie let go of Elvin's hand and placed hers on her hip, "We just want to get away from you and your bloated ego." As they walked away Haylie could here Brent teasing Damon and she couldn't help but feel proud of herself and Elvin.

"Welcome first years to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please wait until your named is called and you will sit on the stool and the sorting hat will be placed on your head." Professor McGonagall droned. Harry couldn't wait until he didn't have to hear those same words ever again. He glanced at his two best friends, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and observed their own reactions to the words. Ron had laid his head on the table and all Harry could see was a cloud of red hair. Hermione, on the other hand, had rested her chin in her fist and was listening to all McGonagall had to say.

"Hurry up already," Harry heard Seamus mumble next to him. Hermione shushed him and returned to her deep listening.

"Ellen McDermott," Professor McGonagall shouted, holding her usual scroll in front of her.

"Oo, the sorting has started! Wake up Ron," Hermione screamed, slapping Ron's head. He jumped up and complained about his head hurting.

"Don't be such a whiner!" Hermione ordered. Ron continued to rub his head as he watched Ellen step up on the stool.

"She's so cute! Look at her hair," Hermione said, pointing to the girl. Her pitch black hair was twisted into braids and pulled into pigtails. Her dark skin shined and her eyes gleamed with excitement.

"HUFFLEPUFF," the sorting hat's familiar voice echoed throughout the hall and little Ellen jumped down and ran toward her table.

"Brent Clayton." He hurried up to the chair and sat on it. Professor McGonagall placed the hat over his blond curls and everyone could see its mouth moving. After about fifteen seconds of pondering, the hat made its important decision.

"SLYTHERIN," it shouted. Brent practically threw the hat off his head as he cheered for joy.

"I don't know why he's so happy about that," Ron exclaimed, finally paying attention to his surroundings.

"Elvin Danebridge," McGonagall called, her bifocals examining the yellowish scroll. The lanky boy walked up the steps and eased his way up on the stool.

"Elvin? Is that really a name?" Dean laughed along with Lavender. Hermione shot him an evil stare and he shut his mouth.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Oh shoot!" Dean whispered, trying not to let Hermione hear him. No luck.

"Don't make me use magic on you!" Hermione shouted to Dean, whose eyes opened as big as saucers. Harry grinned and looked back to the tiny first years all standing in a group. He spotted Haylie and waved to her. She smiled and waved back to him.

"Haylie Granger," Professor McGonagall yelled, clearly surprised. Hermione's focus turned away from Dean and she shook Ron's shoulder.

"It's Haylie! Everyone pay attention. Come on Ron pay attention!" she yelled. Ron nodded and told her to stop shaking him. They all saw Haylie make her way to the steps and jump up on the stool. Then McGonagall placed the hat on her head.


	4. The Scheduled Situation

Haylie breathed deeply as she glided slowly up the stairs. She never dreamed that this moment would be as stressful as it actually was. In the time of one minute she reached the stool and plopped her bottom on top of it, closing her eyes. The hat felt hard as the old lady placed it on her head and she could hear it speaking softly.

"A Granger, hey? Your sister was not hard to place and neither are you. I know just the right house for you my darling," the scratchy voice told her.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Haylie let out a small screech and ran over to the table where her sister was clapping loudly. She sat down next to Hermione and couldn't stop smiling.

"Yes! You're in Gryffindor with us Haylie! This is wonderful! I can't wait to tell mum and dad!" Hermione shrieked, wrapping her arms around Haylie in a huge hug. Finally, Hermione let go of her sister and began to talk excitedly with Harry and Ron. Haylie concentrated on the rest of the first years still being sorted.

"Kelsey Dowd," Professor McGonagall continued.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Tracey Ruggeri."

"RAVENCLAW!

"Natalie Conway."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Corey Price."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Bobby Peeler."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"John Goode"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Corinne Daney." Professor McGonagall added, out of breath. The girl walked up the steps gracefully. Her hair was light brown and was curled into tiny waves. She wasn't the skinniest girl, but she was just the right size.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat boomed. Corinne hurried over and sat across from Haylie.

"Rose Forbes." The girl once again smoothed down her perfect silvery-blond hair and made her way to the stool. Everyone knew where she was headed and Haylie could see Hermione and Ron sneaking a glance at Draco Malfoy, who sat at the other end of the hall at the Slytherin table.

"SLYTHERIN!" Haylie saw Ron lean over the table to whisper to Harry.

"Surprise, surprise."

"Damon Shockley." Haylie stopped talking to the others. Her head turned to watch Damon. She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. Hermione seemed to notice her reaction to the boy and peered down at her little sister.

"Who's he?" Hermione asked, knowing Haylie was angry about something.

"He is such a pig! He was on my boat and he made me so mad," Haylie cried," Then he made fun of Elvin, well actually his friend did, but still….I don't want him to treat Elvin like that. Elvin is such a sweet and kind guy…." Hermione looked up at the boy once again.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat screamed.

"No!" Haylie yelped. Hermione laughed. Haylie looked up at Hermione and shook her head in anger.

"It is so not funny Herm," Haylie announced as Damon pulled out the seat next to Haylie.

"Hey honey, I'm home," Damon teased, flashing her a toothy grin.

"Great," Haylie mumbled, inching her seat farther away from him.

"Hey Ron Weasley," Damon cupped his hands over his mouth. Ron suddenly became alert and leaned over so he could see the person calling his name.

"What do you want?" Ron asked, overhearing the conversation between Haylie and Hermione.

"You know your girlfriend over here called me pathetic," Damon said, jabbing his finger Haylie's way, "and I would really appreciate it if you could tell her to apologize, since you're her boyfriend and all." Ron looked confused at first, until he saw Haylie's pleading face. Then he lifted his eyes to see Damon and stood up.

"Were you bothering her?" Ron asked, mock anger vibrating through his voice, "Cause if you were hitting on Hay, I don't think you will make it long in this school." Ron told Hermione to move to his seat and he slipped his arm around Haylie's shoulders. Damon looked scared.

"No, I just didn't think that… you were….um…have a nice dinner," Damon stood up and hurried to another seat. Once he was gone Ron released Haylie and smiled.

"Did you tell him I was your boyfriend," Ron questioned, "Because it isn't true you know."

"I did, but just to make a point. We can break up tomorrow!" Haylie said feeling horribly embarrassed. He nodded, still smiling.

"You can break up with me," Ron said, turning in the seat and reaching over to grab his food, "So you won't be embarrassed."

"That was a really nice thing you did for Haylie," Hermione told Ron as they sat in the Gryffindor Common room after everything had been unpacked. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were sitting around the couches talking.

"It's fine, I don't mind," Ron replied, polishing his broomstick, "I can't wait for Quidditch to start! Can you Harry?" Harry Smiled and shook his head.

"We'll have to hold auditions though for Angelina and Fred and George," Harry added, rubbing his own broomstick with elbow grease.

"Hey guys!" Haylie came over and jumped over the back of the sofa and landed softly next to Hermione.

"Hey Haylie, aren't you supposed to be snoring right now," Hermione questioned her left eyebrow rising. Haylie frowned and disagreed with her big sister.

"I don't have a bed time anymore Hermione! I'm eleven years old! I'm practically old enough to kiss a boy…" Haylie smiled, facing her sister.

"Oh no you're not!" Hermione stood up and jabbed her finger towards the girl's dormitories, "You need to go to bed."

"But Herm…"Haylie pleaded, but it didn't work.

"Now!" Hermione demanded, her jaw clenching. Haylie sighed and walked past Hermione coolly. Harry grunted loudly across from her. Hermione didn't react, all she did was sit down and put her head in her hands.

"I don't know how I'm going to watch her all year," Hermione yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"You don't have to," Ginny exclaimed, "You aren't her mother."

"Plus," Ron added, "We'll help watch over her." Hermione smiled and laid her head back against the sofa. Suddenly, someone had pulled on her arm and yanked her from her seated position.

"Time for you to go to bed," Harry said, pushing her toward the girls dormitories, just like she had done with Haylie moments before. To everyone's amazement, Hermione didn't argue. She nodded her head and walked through the door without saying a single word.

Haylie stomped unhappily up to her new room. _She can't tell me what to do_, Haylie thought with rage. Talking and laughing could be heard from each room and Haylie approached her door. When she finally reached it, she took a deep breath and twisted the golden handle to let herself in.

"Which bed should I take?" a familiar girl dark brown hair asked to another girl who Haylie recognized at Natalie Conway.

"Oh Haylie!" Natalie ran over to her and closed the door behind her. Haylie smile and looked at the three people before her. Natalie seemed to be the only one she actually had met. The girl with the light brown hair had her skin just a pinch darker than Haylie and she had dark blue eyes that you just couldn't resist staring at.

"I'm Corinne Daney," she smiled warmly and shook Haylie's hand. Then the other girl stepped up to shake Haylie's hand as well. Her skin was as smooth as a pebble and was tanned a very light brown. Orange was the color of her large eyes and soft curls fell at the top of her shoulders.

"I'm Eileen Maloney," she whispered timidly and let go of Haylie's hand. No one spoke for about 5 and seconds and then Corinne went back to her original question.

"Which bed should I take?" Everyone looked around and hurried to the bed they wanted. Corinne stared blankly at them and shook your head.

"Thanks guys, you're a big help," she joked, hoisting her suitcase on the lonely bed at the peek of the window. All four of the girls started to unpack and fought desperately for the drawers and the closet.

"I want the top drawer!" Natalie was yelling at Eileen. Eileen stomped her foot on the ground and screamed back at her.

"But I'm taller than you! I should get the top drawer!" Eileen placed her hand s on her hips and waited for Natalie's comeback. Natalie looked down at the floor and cleared her throat.

"Fine! Fine I'll take the second drawer." Eileen smiled and opened her top drawer and placed her shirts inside. Then she took the third drawer placed her pants inside it carefully. Then she painstakingly, opened the fifth drawer and put her underwear in one at a time. Luckily, Corrine and Haylie had won the right to the closet and had already finished hanging their shirts, pants, and robes on the hangers available inside.

"I'm going to bed," Corinne said, yawning and slipping under her comforter. Haylie decided to do the same, since tomorrow would be her first day as a serious student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Here are your schedules for the next year, so look over them closely and we will proceed to begin the first class of this school year," Professor McGonagall said, as all the schedules were handed out. Haylie shook with excitement as she received her classes. First was Herbology and second was Potions with the evil Professor Snape. Haylie had heard about every single one of the teachers over the summer from Hermione and now knew how to handle them. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione told her, to sit near the back so the creatures would not make it to them. Then, in Potions, Ron had told her to sit in the middle, because Snape usually called on people in the back end of the room or in the front rows. The class Haylie knew most about and looked forward to the most was Transfiguration.

"Volunteer! Professor McGonagall loves people who are active in the class," Hermione had told her when Haylie mentioned the class. Haylie continued to look over her schedule till it was time to leave for her first class, Herbology. Hermione, Harry, and Ron guided her down the twisting corridors and through the courtyard down to the Herbology room, which looked like a huge green house. A short, plump woman with wild snowy white hair directed the first years to their places and began her class.

"Hello boys and girls, my name is Professor Sprout," she glanced around at her new students and gulped, "You can call me…um…Professor Sprout." Haylie smiled and looked next to her where Corinne stood, also giggling quietly.

"I thought we'd start today by learning everyone's.." Professor Sprout was cut off as three boys hurried into the room. Without looking, Haylie knew exactly who had come through the screen doors and became tense and she heard Elvin whimper beside her.

"names," Professor finished, her fat lips squeezing together.

"Sorry, we just got…lost," Haylie heard Brent say, panting slightly.

"Yeah professor, our schedules didn't give directions," Damon continued, glancing over at the boy to his left. The other boy with them smiled slyly and Haylie could tell he was going to be trouble.

"No directions," the boy repeated, the smile not disappearing from his face. He was lightly overweight and had blonde curly hair that looked matted to his head, as if glued.

"Well, as you all will learn," Professor Sprout said sternly, "Our schedules do not have directions through Hogwarts printed on them and never will. Take your places next to Ryan." The boys took their seat, as the other kids around them snickered and giggled.

"Okay, class first I will seat you by having you all pull a number out of…."

"A hat?" Brent yelled, and him, Damon, and the boy burst out in laughter.

"No, actually you will be pulling the numbers out of a pot." She turned, unfazed by Brent's rudeness, and picked up an earthy, red pot that was sitting by a bag of seeds on the windowsill.

"Let's start with you… Rose Forbes?" Professor Sprout asked, looking at her list of names. Rose took a couple seconds to answer but coolly nodded her head and reached into the pot, a scowl on her face.

"That girl is always changing!" Corinne whispered to Haylie, " Sometimes she's really nice and then other times she is so cold!"

"What is your number dear?" Professor Sprout asked, her head trying to peek over Rose's shoulder.

"I got 14," Rose replied. She stepped back and leaned against the wall waiting for everyone to pick their numbers. Finally, the pot reached Corinne and Haylie. Corinne closed her eyes and Haylie watched as her hand disappeared in side the pot. After a few seconds of sifting the tiny papers around, Corinne pulled one out and handed the heavy pot to me. Haylie, too, closed her eyes and could feel her fingers being pricked by the edges of the papers. She waved her hand around until she thought she had picked the perfect paper.

"What number did you get?" Corinne prodded, glancing down at her own number.

" I got number 2," Haylie said.

"I got number 5," Corinne told her. Elvin was next and warily dipped his hand into the pot to choose his own card.

"What about you Elvin?" Corinne asked, taking her eyes off her card for a second but hurriedly returning them to the white piece of parchment.

"One," he whispered shyly, looking only at Haylie. She blushed and turned to Corinne. Haylie had a feeling that Elvin had a tiny crush on her, and Haylie knew she fancied him as well. Unfortunately, Haylie had always been scared to tell people how she felt and always seemed to hide all of her emotions, not just love. After about ten minutes everyone had chosen their number and Professor Sprout was ready to announce their groups for the following year.

"Alright everyone, settle down now. Look at your number and when I call it you will come stand where I tell you so.

"Number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 please stand in these first spots, hurry now," Professor Sprout yelled, her head waving around in the air trying to tell who had gotten the numbers she called. Haylie walked to her given place and stood there watching the others come and stand in their own spots. Corinne stood in the fifth spot, while Elvin stood next to Haylie at the edge of the table. Haylie shot a huge smile at Elvin and secretly wanted to shout "Thank you!" to Professor Sprout. The places three and four had not been filled.

"Hey Corinne, Haylie," Natalie walked over and stood beside Corinne in the fourth place. Only one spot remained next to Haylie and she wondered who would take it. When she saw whom it was her smile faded.

"Hello ladies," the boy who had been with Damon and Brent took the third spot.

"What about Elvin?" Natalie asked, her lips pursed in annoyance.

"Who's Elvin?" The boy said. Haylie was infuriated.

"The _boy_ right next to me," Haylie spat.

"I'm Hastin," the rude boy said, not even acknowledging Elvin.

"What?" Haylie asked, still upset over the way this boy, Hastin, had treated Elvin.

"Ich heisse Hastin Bruno," Hastin laughed, even though no one joined him, " That means my name is Hastin Bruno."

"Is that German?" Natalie asked, glancing at Corinne. Hastin nodded, feeling proud of himself.

"Wait, doesn't Hastin mean…" Haylie tried to remember the name from her Hogwarts a History book. She thought for a second, remembering.

"It means Elephant," Haylie giggled, Corinne and Natalie soon joining in, "I read about it! Back in 1895 a group of rebel wizards called them selves the _Hastin Witching Wayers_ and would kill elephants when the government refused their requests. The problem was that the Minister of Magic's favorite animal was the elephant. It got so bad that they had to send as many of the elephants throughout the world to Hogwarts, so they would be safe."

"Are you serious?" Natalie asked through her endless laughter.

"It's a family name…"Hastin said trying to defend himself. This only made the girls burst out laughing even more.

"Miss. Granger stop laughing at once," Professor Sprout shouted, slamming the pot on the table. Haylie nodded and stopped laughing but knew she was in for an interesting year. After all, how many people in their lifetime get to meet someone named after an elephant?


	5. Points For Pumpkin Juice

"How was your first day as a Hogwarts student?" Hermione asked her sister at dinner that evening. Haylie turned away from Corinne and frowned at her sister.

"That Professor Snip! Ah, he is so mean!" Haylie yelled, banging her fist on the table, which caused her to yelp in pain. Hermione smiled.

"It's Professor _Snape_. And how many points did you lose?" Hermione asked, knowing she must have gotten in trouble. Haylie started to pick at her lasagna with her clean fork, trying to avoid Hermione's eyes.

"55," Haylie muttered, avoiding her older sister's eyes. At the sound of that Hermione started to cough loudly, choking on her own food. As soon as she had cleared her throat and had finally stopped whispering angrily to herself, she continued to speak to Haylie.

"How on earth did you lose 55 points? Already!"

"I was laughing in Herbology and Professor Sprout took off 5 points and then in Transfiguration I _accidentally_ threw my text book at Brent and Damon…"

"How could you accidentally throw a book at someone?" Harry asked, listening in on the two sisters. Haylie shot him a hard glare and ignored his question.

"So she took off 15 points and then in Potions I got in trouble for talking back to Snape. He was so mean though and he called me stubborn and troublesome just because I was showing Agienska Becker my new Sugar magazine. It's not my fault Orlando Bloom is so hot," Haylie said, "So he took off the rest of the points once I called him a greasy haired, ugly oaf."

"Good Job Haylie," Ron added, who had also been listening to the conversation, "That guy needs to be called a greasy haired, ugly oaf once in a while. Maybe then he'll wash his hair." Hermione glared at Ron and he shrugged his shoulders, his fork in his right hand, his knife in his left.

"What did I do now?" Ron questioned, feeling helpless. Hermione clenched her jaw and began to eat the lasagna; which was stuffed with ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, and thick mozzarella cheese. It all fell over onto her plate and covered her crisp green beans, which made her even angrier.

"Oh no! I hate mixing food," she yelled, trying to lift the pile of heavy lasagna off her vegetables. Once it didn't cooperate, Hermione finally exploded.

"Oh! First you," Hermione yelled pointing at Haylie, "Practically break the record of most points lost in one day on your _first_ day! Then, you Ron, convince her it was okay to lose fifty points for Gryffindor, and then this lasagna has to fall over and ruin my whole meal!" Hermione slammed her fork beside her plate and leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest stubbornly. Ron kept his mouth shut for a while and Harry couldn't help laughing.

"Well, Hermione," Ron finally spoke, "At least you still have your pumpkin juice." Hermione looked up, her face unreadable. Then she closed her eyes and clenched her fist. Harry knew she was going to do something out of anger and had a feeling Ron was the unlucky target. As Ron kept on eating, Hermione stared at him, most likely contemplating what she should do to him. Then, in one swift movement, she reached over and grabbed her glass of pumpkin juice and flung it at Ron. A splash could be heard as the sticky liquid soaked Ron's whole upper body. Haylie and Parvati Patil screamed, causing everyone in the Great Hall to turn and see the unfortunate event unfold. Ron wasted no time picking up his own glass and swinging his arm back as far as it could go and repeating Hermione's action. Now both Ron and Hermione were standing up, dripping wet from the juice. Hermione's hair stuck together and seemed to harden as the liquid dried and Ron's face was as red as cheery. Harry wasn't laughing anymore. Both of his two best friends were glaring at Haylie. Haylie noticed this and looked utterly confused.

"What are you blaming me for?" Haylie snapped, taking a sip from her silver cup, "I wasn't the one who wasted perfectly good pumpkin juice."

"Sorry Ron," Hermione whispered as she, Ron, and Harry traveled through the empty hallways to reach the Gryffindor Common Room, "I was just so angry at Haylie. Now our house is going to be so behind in points!"

"I'm sorry too," Ron said, trying to stop his sticky clothes from clinging to his skin. Hermione sighed and stayed quiet for the rest of the long walk up to the Gryffindor Tower. Ron seemed unfazed and just kept on talking about the first day of classes, which began to annoy Harry as the time went by. Finally, they approached the Fat Lady and said the password "Only Lemon Birds" and entered the deserted room. The room was filled with light, even though no lamps were turned on. The source of the illuminating light came from the fire that provided the only sound, of crackling embers, apart from the heavy rain droplets plundering the windows. Harry looked around the room, as he always did, to search for any dangers and saw one lonely boy sitting in the corner writing.

"Elvin?" Hermione questioned, as the boy looked up and met their eyes. He nodded his head and pushed the parchment he was writing on aside. All three of them walked over to the desk where he was sitting and saw his eyes were red and blotchy and his face was wet and swollen from tears.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, taking a step closer. Elvin turned over his parchment and nodded his head, not meeting her eyes.

"What is that you're writing?" Ron asked. Elvin took a few seconds to reply.

"I can't tell you," Elvin answered in a whisper and paused before saying, "It's too embarrassing."

"You can tell us," Hermione spoke softly, still silently wondering why he had been crying.

"Well, okay….but _you_ can't tell Haylie," Elvin said, looking at Ron as he said this. Ron glanced at Harry as if to say "Why does he think I will tell her?".

"I won't tell," Ron said, answering Elvin's unspoken question. Elvin took one more glance at Ron and continued.

"I just…I get so homesick," Elvin whimpered, "I miss my mum and my little sister Ellie and my dad, so I am writing them a letter. I don't want Haylie to know because then she'll think I'm weird."

"I wonder why," Ron whispered, which resulted in him being jabbed by Hermione's elbow in his stomach. He yelped in pain and Hermione walked over to Elvin and gave him a hug.

"It's okay to miss your family, and don't worry none of us will tell Haylie," Hermione said, trying to comfort the tiny boy. He gave them a weak smile and waited patiently for them to leave the room before writing again. When they left the room and traveled up the stairs they continued to talk quietly.

"That Elvin kid is strange," Ron said, "And I don't think he likes me that much." Harry had noticed Elvin's feeling toward Ron also.

"He is just really focused and scared to be in this new place," Hermione told them, looking pitiful, "And he does like you Ron, he just doesn't seem to know how to express his feelings." Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"The kid doesn't like me Hermione."

"I agree with him Herm, he has been giving Ron the cold shoulder," Harry added, surprised not to receive an angry or annoyed gesture from Hermione. Hermione stopped in front of the girl's dormitories door.

"It's quite obvious that Elvin has a crush on Haylie," Hermione whispered, looking around to see if Elvin had followed. Once she was convinced that he was still down in the Common Room, she continued.

"That's probably why he doesn't like you Ron. You were Haylie's fake boyfriend and Elvin probably doesn't know it was all an act. You were the object of Haylie's affection and he is probably threatened by you, so just try to be nice." Ron shrugged his shoulders and followed Harry toward the boy's dormitories. Hermione sighed and turned the other way to walk back to the Common room. Dinner had not yet ended and all Hermione could hear was the lonely silence she had experienced when she first entered the Common Room, and Elvin was once again sitting in the back of the room, but this time something had changed. Elvin's head rested on the table, not making a sound or response to her entrance.

"Oh," Hermione gasped, as she felt something hard beneath her step. She reached down and found Elvin's pen and began to feel worried.

"Elvin?" No reply followed her soft whisper. Almost at once the wind began to howl and the rain poured down upon the school and it's ancient grounds. Hermione, now very concerned, hurried to the desk where Elvin sat and shook him violently. His head bobbed back and forth and his blonde hair fell into his eyes, but his eyes stayed clamped shut.

"Oh dear…Oh no….HELP!" Hermione screamed, panicking. She could hear footsteps running in the distance and she greeted their owner at the door. Luna met her eyes and flew into the Common room. She peered around for a few moments and then turned around to look at Hermione.

"What is it?" she asked. Hermione couldn't speak, she just jabbed her head in the direction of Elvin. At first, Luna didn't get her signals but soon glanced at Elvin and ran over to him. She, as Hermione had done, shook his shoulders, yelling his name over and over. Finally, she stopped and cupped her hand over her mouth and took a deep breath. Now voices could be heard from down the hall and Haylie burst in the door, followed by her friends Corinne, Eileen, and Natalie.

"Hey Hermione," Haylie chirped, smiling and glancing at Elvin, "What's with him, he must be really tired."

"Haylie go get the nurse," Hermione yelled, "At once! You three go with her!"

"What's wrong…." Haylie asked, but was quickly pushed out the door by her older sister. More kids were arriving now and the room began to fill with screams and crying as the girls began to realize what had happened. Hermione tried to find a pulse from the young boy, but her efforts only made her more upset, as she was disappointed over and over. The only time when she had a glimmer of hope was when Luna told her that Elvin was still breathing, and even then the good news was shadowed by the agony and sadness of the Gryffindors. Finally, Haylie entered with the nurse and Professor McGonagall close behind. Soon after, Dumbledore entered. The nurse checked Elvin's pulse quickly and sighed with relief.

"He still has a pulse, but I can't hear him breathing," she said, leaping to her feet and magically lifting him in the air, "We need to get him to the hospital wing." Al the teachers followed the nurse and the floating form of Elvin out of the Common Room. Almost instantly, noise erupted in the room. More screams and weeping could be heard from all corners of the large room. Hermione looked beside her and saw Haylie crying hysterically. She bent down to comfort her sister, but stopped, realizing that it was best to let her sister weep. Now she had to get everyone calmed down.

"Alright everyone…." She yelled, but no one seemed to hear her at all. Just then she saw Ron and Harry running towards her. Once they reached her, she grabbed their wrists and pulled them to the spot where Elvin had been lying, since no one dared step anywhere near it.

"Help me get everyone to bed," Hermione screamed, so they could hear her clearly through the rustle and excitement of the room. They both nodded in agreement and Hermione cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Everyone! BE QUIET!" she yelled, but still got no answer. She threw her hands in the air and sighed.

"They won't listen to me." She gave up and looked around at the chaos of the room as more people entered. Damon and Brent entered the room. Hermione ran over to them and pushed them away from where Haylie sat.

"You two need to stay out of trouble and away from Haylie," Hermione hissed at them. Damon looked slightly concerned, but Brent laughed.

"Why, what did she do? Break a nail?" Haylie glared at the boy for a few seconds, but she then jabbed her finger at him. Brent jumped back. Hermione's rage boiled as she thought of how Malfoy reflected in the attitude of this boy.

"No! Elvin Danebridge is hurt and hasn't been breathing, you need to leave Brent," Haylie growled, "You're not even supposed to be here! Go to the Slytherin Tower now!" Brent's smile continued to remain on his face as he ran out of the Common Room. Hermione watched him leave and then looked down at Damon.

"Don't go near Haylie," Hermione snapped, turning around to go back to Ron and Harry. Luna and Ginny were running around, trying to calm the kids down, but nothing seemed to work.

"They won't stop crying! What are we gonna do?" Hermione called to Harry and Ron.

"EVERYONE! SHUT UP OR YOU'LL GET EXPELLED!" Ron screamed, after he climbed up on the wooden chair at the desk. The room fell silent.

"Everyone go to bed now!" Harry hollered. All of the students started to venture up the stairs toward the dormitories and Hermione sighed with relief.

"Thanks guys," she said, deciding she should help Haylie get to her room.


	6. Rain Falls on Hogwarts

The rain had not stopped for two days. Short spurts of sunlight appeared every now and then throughout the long days, but the rain just continued to pour heavily upon Hogwarts. No one spoke of Elvin and no one wished to. Haylie walked around to her classes without talking to her friends or even showing a glimmer of happiness. Eating seemed to be a chore to Haylie as well and her usual joyful conversations changed to one word sentences. Hermione began to feel very concerned for her little sister and decided that Haylie needed to do something fun, to keep her mind from wandering to Elvin.

"Haylie, why don't you and I send an owl to Mum and Dad," Hermione said, trying to keep a small smile on her face. Haylie looked up from her dinner and shook her head. Darkness shadowed her bright blue eyes and small bags could be seen beneath her eyelashes. Her hair, usually brushed neatly, flew in all directions and her skin appeared pale and dry.

"Come on Hay, you need to have fun or at least communicate with somebody," Harry chimed in, his mouth full with food. This time Haylie didn't even glance at them.

Haylie lied in bed, peering around her dark room. She could hear the gentle breathing of Natalie and the rustle of blankets as Eileen moved in her sleep. The rain still pounded on the window beside her and Haylie watched the tiny drops of moisture slither down the window, connecting with other drops on the way. Drops also fell down Haylie's cheeks, but those drops were tears, not rain. After a few minutes of silent crying, Haylie leaped out of bed and ran to her drawer. She yanked her jacket from the bottom of her drawer and threw it on quickly. In the hallway Haylie could see no one. She was alone, as she had been for three days. She hurried down the hall until she reached the Common Room. No fire blazed in the chimney and no person sat, doing last minute homework. Even the wide hallways of Hogwarts were deserted and Haylie felt cold as she ran, quickly but quietly, to the door to the outside. To her surprise it was unlocked and she turned the handle to exit the castle. At once the cold raindrops soaked her hair and she felt a cold chill creep through her entire being. To anyone else this feeling would have felt horrible and frightening, but to Haylie it was an awakening. For the first time since that dreadful night, she felt free and she felt comfortable. The rain had always been a comfort to Haylie from the time she was born. Haylie had always guessed that the rain helped her so much because she had been born on a rainy day. Now, Haylie could not tell which drops that fell from her face were tears or which were raindrops, and for once it did not matter. Peacefulness fell over Haylie and her fears seemed to melt away. Unfortunately, someone interrupted this feeling.

"Haylie, what are you doing," Corinne's voice whispered through the thunder of the rainstorm. Haylie whipped around to look at her friend. Both girls stood still, staring into each other's eyes, trying to tell what the other was thinking.

"Corinne, I need to be alone," Haylie yelled, turning to run down the hill. This wasn't enough to get rid of Corinne, who followed Haylie to her resting point.

"What you need is to go back to normal!" Corinne said, as she sat on the slippery bench across from the Hogwarts Lake beside Haylie. Haylie sighed and looked at her friend.

"I can't."

"Why not Haylie? Why are you being so secluded?" Corinne asked, her brown hair drenched with rain. Haylie could feel warm tears mix in with the rain as she began to cry again. Corinne slipped her arm around her friend's shoulders as they sat quietly.

"Brent laughed you know," Haylie mumbled. Corinne bit her lip and said nothing.

"He laughed about Elvin, how could he laugh?" The dark sky brightened as lightening cut through the air, releasing the loud boom of thunder. Both girls knew that they would get in trouble if they were caught outside this late at night and especially during a thunderstorm. Neither of them cared, though.

"You and I both know Brent Clayton has the IQ of a doorknob," Corinne laughed quietly, attempting to brighten the dim mood, "So he probably didn't even know what was going on."

"But the way he laughed was so…" Haylie moved her hand in the air, as if she was trying to explain with gestures.

"Sincere." After Haylie said this Corinne sighed and realized that the rain was coming down harder.

"We should get inside Haylie, or we'll get sick," Corinne helped her friend up and together they walked up the wet hills to the entrance of Hogwarts. Once they made it inside, both of the girls could feel the warmth of the air. Haylie had to admit that the stuffiness of the castle felt good. They tiptoed down the hallways and up to the Gryffindor Tower. It was such a relief to them to plop their selves down on the two couches and relax. Neither of them could go back to bed now, since they were drenched with water and were wide-awake. The sun started to rise in the east and Haylie enjoyed the warmth shine on her soaked face. The rain had stopped, but Haylie knew it would return.

"You didn't answer my question Hay," Corinne insisted, watching her friend closely. Haylie looked confused.

"Which question?" Haylie asked, even though she had an idea of what that question had been.

"Why are you taking this so hard? Why have you been like a zombie for the last three day?"

"I don't know." Haylie snapped, not wanting to answer truthfully. Corinne knew this and knew that Haylie's secret would soon be told.

"Haylie! Stop this! I don't understand," Corinne demanded, sounding desperate. A huge sigh came from Haylie and she sunk into the soft cushions of the coach even further. Haylie knew that if she told Corinne her secret, that a huge burden would be lifted off her conscience. Maybe her judgment was altered at the time she told her secret, but Haylie didn't care. At that point all the youngest Granger wanted was some closure and a chance to defend herself.

"I did this to Elvin," Haylie cried, "It's my fault! All my fault!"


	7. The Worst Faults Lie in Words

**_Dear Haylie Granger,_**

**_I am not a foe of your pretty little self, but I could be. To keep me as a friendly soul, you must do what I tell you. Don't tell another living soul about this letter. Meet me at the Ravenclaw Graveyard at 3:00am on Wednesday night. If you do not I will harm, perhaps kill, someone you care about. Don't be late._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Your future friend_**

Corinne read the letter silently to herself, not taking her eyes from it for one second. Haylie had just a moment ago handed the folded piece of paper to her and Corinne now understood what had taken place within the walls of their new home.

"Haylie…why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Corinne asked, after she had read and reread the letter thoroughly. Haylie allowed only one tear to trickle from her eyelash, before wiping the rest away with the palm of her hand.

"The letter told me not to," she replied, her voice now very shaky. Corinne shook her head and noticed that the rain had once again begun to fall and she sighed loudly.

"Let's just go to bed and we'll talk about it in the morning," Corinne suggested, turning to travel up the steps to their room.

"I think it is morning, a voice said, coming from a little way up the stairwell. Now three girls were standing in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Eileen, we need to go to bed," Corinne said, pushing past her friend, "It's been a long couple of days."

"What are you two doing up anyway?" Eileen said between yawns. Haylie felt tired as well. She rubbed her itchy, dry eyes that seemed to be more tired than the majority of her body.

"Can we just tell you tomorrow Eileen?" Haylie whispered, her face clearly pleading for her friend to just allow her to sleep. At that note, Eileen nodded. Haylie gave her a small smile and walked past her two friends and up to her comfortable, warm bed.

"When Hogwarts was first built, it was led by four witches and wizards. Their names were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Raveclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. All of them were exceptional at their craft and in their strengths. That is why there are four houses. Each house holds people who show similar abilities to those of the original creators. Of course, after many years, those people died from old age or murder or whatever way they might have passed on. So, now there are four graveyards surrounding the school. Each graveyard holds the remains of the witch or wizard named after it. There is the Gryffindor Graveyard, the Hufflepuff Graveyard, the Ravenclaw Graveyard, and the Slytherin Graveyard, each on a different corner of the castle," Hermione explained to her little sister at breakfast the next day. Haylie nodded her head and listened intently, trying to understand why these strange things were arriving at her doorstep and why she was chosen. Nothing had been explained to Hermione. Only Corinne, and now Eileen, knew the dark secret of Haylie's horrible note.

"Wow, I never knew that," Haylie said, trying to act surprised and interested. Hermione gave her a smile.

"I'm so happy that you are doing okay now. I was really getting worried that you were going to fall into a depression," Hermione told Haylie, giving her a small hug. Haylie smiled back.

"I just need to know one thing Herm," Haylie continued to try to get information from her brainy sister, "Where exactly are each of the graveyards? I have to do some sort of project on them." Hermione sat quietly thinking for a moment and then sprung back to life.

"The Hufflepuff graveyard is to the right of the Gryffindor Tower, and the Slytherin is to the right of Hagrid's Hut. Then The Gryffindor is directly behind the Gryffindor Tower and the Ravenclaw one is behind the Great Hall," Hermione exclaimed, pointing the directions for her sister. Haylie nodded as she listened, trying to memorize the exact locations of the graveyards. She figured that she wanted to be prepared if another note appeared.

"So Haylie," Harry cut in, "Are you going to see Elvin today?" Haylie froze and glanced over at Corinne who nodded her head slightly.

"Yeah, I think I need too," Haylie whispered, hesitation vibrating through her shaky voice. Hermione's smile stretched even further across her face. Trying desperately not to cry, Haylie smiled too.

"Alright everyone! Have a wonderful Saturday and we will see you at lunch," Professor Dumbledore yelled, stretching his graceful arms outward. Haylie jumped out of her seat and tried to get lost in the crowds of students making their way to the big wooden doors. Finally, she pushed herself out of the Great Hall and stood still, waiting for Corinne and Eileen to come.

"Hello Haylie Granger," Brent's voice echoed from across the hallway. The anger that his voice forced upon her boiled inside Haylie's whole being. Deciding to ignore Brent, Haylie turn slightly away from Brent and stood on her tiptoes, desperately trying to see Corinne. She was no where in sight.

"Whom are you waiting for?" Brent snarled, clearly angry at her for ignoring him.

"None of your beeswax Brent," Haylie snapped, "Just shoo like a fly." To Haylie's surprise Brent shot one last cold stare at her and turned to walk away. She watched his back intently as he paced down the hallway, meeting up with Damon half way.

"Ready?" Corinne's voice said loudly. Haylie jumped.

"Don't do that!" Haylie ordered, pushing her hair behind her ears. Corinne's head tilted and Haylie could tell she was looking down the hallway.

"What were you looking at?" she questioned, her eyes narrowing. Haylie, suddenly seeing Eileen walking toward them, grabbed both of their wrists and pulled them toward the stairway that led to the Hospital Wing. The trio walked slowly up the steps and kept quiet as they approached the Hospital Wing doors. None of them, especially Haylie, were looking forward to visiting Elvin at his sickbed. Unfortunately, Haylie knew she needed to solve her mystery and find out who sent her the note and who attacked innocent Elvin. They halted at the doors and Haylie turned around to announce their entrance.

"Here we go," Haylie mumbled, glancing briefly at the door, "Now both of you know what we must find out, right?" When both Eileen and Corinne nodded their heads and Haylie felt reassured, she whipped around and swung the heavy doors open. At once Haylie could smell the scent of strong ammonia and the sharp fragrance of plaster. Only three people were in the room when they entered. Madam Pomfrey, searching her closet for something unknown to the girls, a girl probably in fifth year lying asleep, and Elvin lying in his bed chewing on a piece of dark chocolate. After a moment of silence Madam Pomfrey raised and let out a high-pitched squeal once she saw Haylie, Corinne, and Eileen.

"Please announce yourselves next time you enter, so I don't suffer from a heart attack!" Madam Pomfrey yelled, her hand pressed upon her heart.

"Sorry…um… can we talk to Elvin," Haylie asked, trying to keep her eyes from wandering to Elvin who was now staring at her, grinning.

"Of course my dears," Madam Pomfrey said, smiling at Elvin, "I will be back in about ten minutes. I've run out of chocolate, so please stay here until I return." The old woman hurried out of the large room, leaving Haylie and her friends alone with Elvin.

"Haylie! I'm so glad you came to see me," Elvin chirped, pushing himself up, "I was beginning to think that no one was going to…" Elvin's smile faltered for a second but soon recovered.

"Of course we had to see you!" Haylie told him, urging her friends to walk forward. All three girls sat in chairs beside Elvin's bed and gave him huge smiles.

"How are you doing?" Haylie asked, worriedly, "Better, I hope."

"I'm doing a lot better! I get to go back to classes on Monday," Elvin said happily, popping the last piece of dark chocolate into his wide open mouth. He chomped n it for a few seconds and swallowed it, sighing happily.

"I love that chocolate stuff! It works wonders! It made me all better," Elvin told them, crunching the chocolate wrapper and throwing it at the small green trash bin by the other patient's bed. Unfortunately, it jerked to the left and hit the sleeping girl right on the dot of her nose, causing her to wake up.

"Hey! What was that for?" the girl yelled angrily, picking up the wrapper and tossing it into the bin, "Darn kids!" In a flash the girl had shot one more venomous glare at the four first years and swooped back under her large feathery comforter, grunting unrecognizably. Eileen let out a small giggle and Haylie tiptoed over to the trash bin and stuck her hands inside it meticulously. When her hand emerged from inside the bin, it held the wrapper, which could be heard crinkling under the pressure of her grip. Obviously, Haylie had forgotten her predicament for a minute so she could have some fun, and be a kid again with no problems or worries. When Haylie returned to her original stature beside Elvin's bed, she thrust the wrapper ball into the air, aiming for the grumpy girl's face. They found out that Haylie had wonderful aim.

"Oh!" the girl roared, kicking her blankets off of herself and rushing into the bathroom. Haylie, Corinne, Eileen, and Elvin started to roll with laughter. After they settled down, Haylie knew she had to receive some answers from Elvin.

"So…do you know what happened that night?" Haylie asked, glancing at Eileen and Corinne. They both kept straight faces and stared at Elvin, who seemed to be wandering through his memories.

"Not exactly, all I know was that I was writing my Aunt and my little cousin Ellie and letter, when the Common Room door opened. Before I knew it someone rushed over and shot some kind of spell at me! I tried to duck, but I guess I wasn't successful. The next thing I knew I was lying in here, getting pounds of chocolate shoved into my mouth," Elvin retold his story enthusiastically, making gestures with his hands for effect.

"Did you see who it was at all?" Corinne asked. Elvin squinted his eyes tightly for a moment and shook his head.

"Nope," Elvin answered, watching as the girl entered back into the hospital wing and jumped into bed.

"Well…alright," Haylie said, pushing herself up off the hard chair, "I will come to visit you tomorrow, okay?" When Elvin nodded, Haylie, Corinne and Eileen waved and turned to leave. Before they could step even one foot out of the room, Elvin's voice was heard.

"I do remember him saying something about the Ravenclaw Graveyard to someone."


	8. Silver is a Witch's Best Tool

Haylie squeezed underneath her bed, trying desperately to reach her book bag. Once she had successfully grabbed her bag, she threw it on the bed and hurried around her room. She grabbed her coat, her money, and her new fuzzy hat that felt so warm upon her head.

"Natalie! Are you almost ready?" Haylie called, slipping on her matching gloves and earmuffs. September had passed two weeks before and the halfway point of October was hurrying upon the excited school.

"Yes Haylie, I coming! Just keep your shirt on!" Natalie yelled back from the bathroom, as Haylie plopped her and her bag back down on the newly made sheets of Corinne's bed.

"Get off Hay! Geez, I've made that bed three times this morning and every time I do one of you… "Corinne yelled, making eye contact with both Haylie and Eileen, "Sit on it and mess it up!"

"Why are you so annoying?" Eileen retorted, brushing her hair gently, "We're supposed to be having a _fun_ day today, not one filled with worry!"

"You just made no sense _at all_," Corinne shot back, finishing her job by placing her snowy white pillow directly upon the backboard of the bed. Eileen rolled her eyes and slammed the brush down on the wooden bureau.

"What I meant, was that you need to relax and stop worrying about being so…" Eileen struggled to find the word, "well….annoying." Corinne's venomous stare stopped Eileen from continuing with her observations. Haylie giggled and peered out the foggy window and could see the sun shining.

"Why is the sun out if the air is so cold? Haylie asked. Natalie finally emerged from the bathroom and also looked out at the sky.

"What I would like to know is, why is it so cold? It's never this chilly this early!" Natalie said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Nothing has been normal this year," Haylie replied, hoisting her heavy bag over her shoulder, quietly groaning at the weight he had to carry.

"Alright everyone! It's finally time," Professor McGonagall yelled over the incessant chatting of the students, "We will now be journeying to Hogsmeade!" The students cheered and Corinne squealed and Haylie clapped her hands loudly, smiling at Hermione who was standing beside her.

"I must say, though, that this is the first year we are letting our 1st Years venture to Hogsmeade. Because of that I am very much concerned, so all First Years must travel with at least one witch or wizard in 3rd year or above," Professor McGonagall folded up he scroll and smiled at the crowd of excited students, "Now…it's time to go!" The crowd cheered once again and different groups were forming and entering the trains. Hermione grabbed Haylie's hand and Haylie signaled to her friends to come with them. Haylie, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Eileen, Corinne, and Natalie all jumped into one compartment just as the train began to push forward into its full speed. The trip seemed to last forever for the 1st Years, who had never experienced the joy of Hogsmeade.

"We need to go into Zonkos!" Ron ordered. Everyone agreed as they pulled up to the train station. The brakes of the old train squealed miserably and Haylie squinted her eyes in pain. They all ran off the train yelling and screaming at the tops of their lungs. Haylie laughed when she saw Snape practically being run over by a group of 2nd years, hurrying to enter the town. Snape grunted angrily and pushed a few students out of the way to enter the main security building. Haylie giggled and grabbed her sister's hand, so they wouldn't get separated. Finally, Haylie's group entered Hogsmeade and even the 6th years seemed enchanted.

"It's so…cool!" Haylie yelped, her smile as big as ever.

"Let's go into Honeydukes!" Corinne yelled, jabbing her finger in the direction of a small brick building with a sign the shape of a huge lollipop hanging from the roof. As the small group approached the store Haylie could see the lollipop sign changing colors, from blue to red to rainbow. Inside the store was even more brilliant. Thousands of various types of chocolates, candies, and lollipops lined the walls and shelves of sweets of strange shapes and colors were being torn apart by little children.

"No Brandon! That's mine!" one little girl yelped, as her twin brother snatched the sour candy ear from her fingers.

"It's mine Cora! I was born first so I get the ear," her brother yelled, stuffing the candy into his pocket. The small girl's cheeks blushed red as her eyes began to squint and her nostrils flare. Haylie pointed this out to Natalie and both of them watched the small children

"I don't want the toenail candy! It doesn't taste sour like the ear!" cried the girl, whose name was obviously Cora, shaking her head causing her black curls to whip her red face. Her brother slapped his hands on his pocket, sticking his tongue out to tease his sister. Apparently, Cora didn't feel like losing the game. Almost at once the girl mumbled two words and her brother's fingers began to smoke and turn as red as burning embers. Natalie gasped as the boy cried out for his mother. Once Brandon had let go Cora slipped her tiny hand into his front pocket and retrieved the admirable piece of candy. The jaws of all members of Haylie's group dropped.

"Thank you Brandon," Cora smiled sweetly, stuffing the sugary substance into her open mouth. Brandon then charged at her and Cora's smile disappeared. Now both children ran throughout the store, chasing each other, sending many boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans splattering on the clean wooden floor.

"You and I used to do that Hay," Hermione smiled, observing a box of laughing taffies, "Only, you didn't burn my hand with spells." They all laughed and decided to leave the store once the manager had entered and saw the mess Cora and Brandon had made.

"What happened here?" the manager screamed, causing every customer in the store to turn and freeze.

"I think we better go," Ron said, trying to push behind Harry, "Mr. Honeyduke doesn't like me very much." Corinne and Hermione both gave him confused glances.

"Why?" Corinne asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Ron gulped.

"Lets just say I ….may have almost blown up this store…in my younger years," Ron whispered, still attempting to shield himself from Mr. Honeyduke's eyes. Hermione dropped the box of laughing taffies she had held in her hands and hurriedly grabbed it from the floor as many people started to look their way.

"Ronald! How?" she hissed, shaking her head. Unfortunately, Ron didn't have a chance to explain himself. Mr. Honeyduke's head jerked from left to right, his dark brown eyes searching for the guilty culprit. Haylie saw his eyes wander to Harry and then to the top of Ron's blazing red hair, which could be seen from behind Harry's shoulder.

"Weasley!" Mr. Honeyduke roared, "What did you do?!" Ron shuddered and quickly pushed Harry out of the way and busted open the Honeydukes door.

"See you later!" Ron yelled, tripping down the steps, but quickly gathering his composure and continuing his flee.

"You come back here right now!" Mr. Honeydukes ran after him and everyone could hear the angry man screaming.

"I guess we better go save Ron," Harry exclaimed, the others following him out the door.

"Doesn't it seem like we have to save him _every_ day?" Hermione sighed, placing the box of candies back on the shelf and proceeding to the outdoors with her friends. Haylie squinted her eyes as she stepped into the sun, which continued to shine bright down on the busy village. There was no sight of Ron or the angry Mr. Honeyduke.

"Well, Ron can take care of himself, "Hermione said, turning to the others, "after all, he gets himself out of trouble all the time." Everyone agreed and they all walked down the wide open streets slowly, so the first years could observe the qualities of the village, good and bad. Haylie was having the best time of her life. Several elder aged witches swooped down on all the girls and looped glorious silver necklaces around their throats.

"They are a new product! A wonderful product! All you have to do ladies is whisper _ShowaWingardiumHogsmeade_," the women chirped, taking Eileen's necklace and pushing it in her face. Haylie examined her free necklace. It was certainly beautiful and glamorous. It was a silver chain, but the links were curled and tiny engravings of the Hogsmeade town logo were etched onto each separate links. Along the chain were tiny diamonds that hung downward and surrounded a good-sized Heart piece that opened up into a locket. Haylie stared at it, awed, and suddenly saw the letter H appear on the heart.

"Wow! Look! My initial is on it! How did it do that?" Haylie asked, showing the sales-witch her necklace. Surprisingly, the witch looked astonished.

"I don't know Hun, I've never seen one of the necklaces do that before! Maybe your powers have affected it. Do you have any special magical qualities?"

"No that I know of," Haylie said, not removing her eyes from the polished silver.

"Um…may I ask if this is real silver?" Corinne questioned. The sales-witch nodded and handed Corinne a business card that said, _Silver is a Witch's Best Tool_.

"We are a new company! We're trying to sell our product and we were told to give out ten of these maps to promising young ladies. Please, do show your friends and tell them to come buy something! We would love to start selling right away!"

"Thank you Miss, we will surely tell our friends about these," Hermione said, putting hers around her neck. At the sound of that the sales-witch cried out in excitement.

"Oh! Thank you dears! Please just visit our store! Just for a moment and I know you will be captivated by the beauty and uses for our wonderful jewelry," the witch said, now turning to and Harry, "And for you my dear…oh my! You're Harry Potter! Can I have your autograph?" The sale-witch fished through her large purse and threw a small picture of someone at Harry.

"You have a picture of me?" Harry asked, taking one step back, giving Hermione a sideways glance.

"Please sign it! My daughter loves you! She says you're cute!"

"Oh…well, then…okay," Harry mumbled, sending a glare at the girls, who were giggling loudly, "What's her name?"

" Gwen," she wailed, almost in tears with happiness, "I'm sorry, I have just had such a bad week and it's so great to meet some nice children and to meet a celebrity! Oh…I could cry with joy!" With those words intact, she began to bawl, tears pouring from her brown eyes. Harry, at this point, tried to sign the picture as fast as he could, fearing she would suffer a heart attack. He shoved the picture back into the woman's hand.

"Thank you, oh thank you dear boy….oh, who is this?"

"Hey guys, I'm back," Ron had stepped up behind Haylie, "What's wrong with you?" Hermione stared daggers at Ron.

"What?"

"Don't be so rude!"

"Are you Ronald Weasley?" the witch asked, her tears now disappearing. Ron nodded cautiously. The sale's witch once again squealed with happiness.

"Omigoodness! I haven't seen you since you were a wee little tike!" she reached out and gave Ron a huge, overbearing hug. The group's eyes all opened wide. Ron seemed as surprised as they were and Haylie began to wonder whether the woman had flown from a mental institution.

"I am an old friend of your fathers! We used to date during our time in Hogwarts," the witch's smile faltered and she let go, "Before _Molly_ came." Ron now seemed to be scared and Hermione and Haylie both stepped in.

"Alright…well," Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him away from the slightly spiffed witch, "I think we should all head over to the store, right?"

"Yeah!" Haylie jumped in, feeling worried for their safety. The sales-witch now smiled.

"That's a great idea!" she pointed at the building that stood behind her. Every person in the group flashed the woman a smile and started to run to the store. Once they found the safety of the store, they all began to laugh.

"That woman had either one too many Butterbeers or she has too many screws loose in the noggin," Ron laughed. They all finished their giggles and peered around the room. They were almost blinded from the glittery walls and merchandise that filled the room. Many people were already shopping around the store, and more seemed to enter every minute. Haylie smiled and clutched her necklace in her hands. _Now this is the life_, she thought smiling even more brightly than the jewelry.


	9. Your Future Friend

"What exactly is so special about these necklaces anyway? The woman told us the spell, but never told us what the spell actually _did_," Corinne exclaimed, taking hers off and stuffing it in her pocket, "I'm not wearing it! It could be dangerous."

"Oh please, Corinne! There is nothing wrong with these things!" Eileen growled, her eye's rolling as far as they could.

"I think they are some kind of map," Hermione said, examining her necklace, "I remember the woman saying something about a map." Haylie hadn't taken her eyes off the piece of jewelry since she had received it. Something about it captivated her mind and she couldn't unglue her baby blues from the glittering silver. Not even Hermione's constant questions could release her attention.

"Haylie," somebody's voice seemed to break the spell at once and when Haylie looked up she wasn't surprised. Elvin stood there, a heavy coat wrapped around his thin body, looking pathetic and embarrassed. Melancholy seemed to plague his face and his hair fell limp at his ears.

"Hey Elvin," Haylie cooed, feeling sorry for the boy, "Why are you all alone?"

"Nobody wanted me in their group," Elvin whispered, bowing his head, "I wanted to know if I could come with your group. I don't want Professor McGonagall to be mad at me."

"Yeah of course!" Haylie told him enthusiastically, smiling and pulling him towards the rest of the group. Everyone said hello to Elvin, except for Harry and Ron who were talking to Neville at the other corner of the room. Everyone split up so they could examine the whole store, and maybe even purchase something. Eileen and Natalie hurried off to the small section of the right corner labeled "Ringer Rings", while Corinne and Hermione checked the price tags on some necklaces bracelets hanging near the doorway. Haylie and Elvin smiled at each other and began to stroll around the store, searching for anything worth buying. At the far left corner of the store was a glass case filled with earrings of every color, shape, and karat Haylie could imagine. At once, one pair of earrings caught her eyes. Haylie moved in closer, practically touching the tip of her nose to the clear glass, completely awed at the beauty of the earrings. They were silver bent and stretched into fine hoops. The most wonderful silver Haylie's eyes had ever laid her eyes upon. Of course this seemed silly, because silver is silver and nothing more but Haylie knew there was something different about it. She couldn't explain it. Other aspects of the earrings drew her attention. Dangling from the silver hoops were small green stones shaped like raindrops, surrounding the blue diamond star in the center. They were glamorous and gorgeous.

"Look Elvin!" Haylie jabbed her finger at the earrings, "Aren't they wonderful." Elvin nodded his head in agreement, but Haylie could tell he didn't feel the same. She smiled and tried to open the case, but every time she touched it, it shocked her. She glared at the protective case and continued to gaze at the earrings.

"It won't open up! I want to see….oh no." The chimes that ring every time a person opened the entrance to the store rang. Haylie groaned as she saw who walked through.

"Brent and Damon," Haylie mumbled, glancing at Elvin who appeared scared. Unfortunately, Haylie saw Damon notice them and watched as he caught Brent's attention. Now, both boys were walking towards Haylie and Elvin, smiling evilly. Haylie could see Hermione look away from the bracelets and pay attention to what was going on.

"Hey Haylie, Hey Elvin," Damon said thoughtfully sending them both a smile. Haylie was pleasantly surprised that Damon had acknowledged Elvin and had treated him nicely. Obviously Elvin was as surprised as she had been and gave Damon a small smile as well. The only problem was Brent.

"Hey Hay," Brent gave them a conniving smile. Elvin waited for a hello as well, but was sadly disappointed.

"So…what are you looking at?" Damon asked, peering at the case of earrings.

"Those green and blue ones," Haylie cautiously pointed at them, keeping her eyes on Brent. Haylie didn't trust either of the boys. Damon seemed to be nicer than Brent. On the other hand, Brent was the Draco Malfoy of their year. Brent didn't care about anyone's feelings beside his own and his eyes always told a story of horror and evil crime.

"Are you gonna buy them?" Brent asked, smirking at Elvin.

"I don't know how much they cost," Haylie retorted, finally removing her eyes from Brent's eyes, "I can't get anywhere near them." Damon laughed.

"_Uncoverium_," he said, his wand flicking in the air. At once a list appeared on a blackboard right behind the case. Prices and other information appeared at once.

"Oh, thanks," Haylie said, staring blankly at the board. At once she searched for the blue and green earrings and when she found the picture she pressed her finger upon it. Instantly more information on those particular earrings showed up. According to the information those earrings had a special kind of power. The power was something unusual, even for magic.

" So you can ask it questions," Brent chuckled, "but it will only answer certain ones? What's the point of that?" Haylie didn't care about its magical qualities; all she cared about was the beauty. She skimmed the paragraphs explaining the different kinds of rocks and silvers used in the earrings to find the price. When she laid her eyes upon the numbers she screeched.

"Oh no! I only have 50 dollars! This says these are $75," Haylie sighed, pressing the exit button below the writing on the board. Immediately the board disappeared and so did her dreams of owning those earrings.

"Oh, that's just too bad," Brent said with fake sympathy, "I guess I could buy them for you. After all, I have a ton of money to spend." Haylie glared at the boy.

"I would never take anything from you! Just go away," Haylie spat, grabbing Elvin's arm and dragging him out of the store. The cold air hit Haylie hard and she stopped to collect herself. Elvin stood beside her. Soon Hermione joined him.

"What did he do now?" Hermione asked, putting her arm around Haylie.

"He was just being himself," Haylie answered, watching as the rest of the group exited the store. Corinne and Eileen ran out laughing. They then began talking to their arms. Haylie's eyebrows furrowed at that sight, and she walked over to her best friends.

"What are you two doing?" Haylie asked, as they continued to speak loudly into their arms. It turned out that they were actually speaking into their ringer rings.

"Isn't it cool Haylie?" Eileen said, sticking her hand in Haylie's face, "They're like phones!"

"That's cool!" Natalie yelled, from behind Haylie.

"Did you buy anything Haylie?" Hermione asked her sister. Haylie shook her head sadly.

"I liked these pair of earrings, but they were too much money," Haylie explained, as the group headed down the road. Hermione gazed at her sister for a moment and brought Haylie's head closer to her.

"That's okay Hay! We've still got three more visits to Hogsmeade."

Everyone who returned from Hogsmeade were terribly tired. Between the running around all day and the cold air, several kids just wanted to go to their comfortable beds and fall into the deepest of slumbers. Unfortunately, they all had to report to the Great Hall for dinner. Haylie, personally, didn't feel like eating the baked beans and roast ham provided.

"So, did you have fun?" Harry asked Haylie, stuffing his face with a huge spoonful of brown, gooey baked beans. Haylie smiled and expressed her feelings the best she could.

"Wonderful! Those Butter beers were to die for and….oh, everything was great! When do we get to go back?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said, gulping his chewed food. Ron, who sat beside Harry and Hermione, was speaking with Neville.

"Can you believe we have that paper about the Muggle-born defeaters due on Monday! I haven't even started!" Ron said, slicing a piece of ham.

"Me either! It actually kind of scares me! My grandmother told me all about it! It was only eight years ago!" Neville agreed. This conversation caught Haylie's attention.

"Muggle-born defeaters? What are those?" she asked, putting down her fork. Ron turned to look at her and hushed his voice.

"You haven't heard of that? Well, I'll tell you," Ron also placed his silverware beside his plate, "About eight years ago a few people who claimed to be old….he-who-must-not-be-named… followers, found muggle-born witches and wizards and tried to kill them. They killed about one hundred muggle-borns!"

"You're not supposed to speak of that!" Damon's voice suddenly interrupted. He looked angry and Haylie shoved her seat back a bit.

"I didn't know…" Haylie tried to say. She was surprised and shocked at Damon's reaction. She had never seen him angry or that serious before.

"Just don't okay," Damon mumbled before turning back to his friends. Haylie's mouth hung slightly open and she looked over at Ron. He shrugged and went back to eating.

"The mail is here! Look here they come!" Natalie screamed, pointing up at the dozens of owls entering through the huge window near the ceiling of the Great Hall. Many people were overjoyed at the sight of their owls entering the Hall. Haylie and Hermione both didn't have an owl, so Haylie wasn't expecting any mail. So when a tiny brown owl dropped a small purple envelope in her lap, Haylie was astounded. She stoked the owl's feathers gently and gave it a little kiss before it took off into the air once again.

"What is it Haylie?" Hermione asked. Haylie shrugged her shoulders and tore the top off the envelope. She then turned it upside down and allowed a folded piece of parchment to fall on the table.

**Dear Haylie,**

**You saw what happened last time you didn't respond to my letter! Listen to me when I say will harm somebody else if you repeat your foolish actions! I want you to meet me at 1:00am the morning after you receive this letter at the Hufflepuff Cemetery. This time I expect to see you there!**

**Sincerely,**

_**Your Future Friend**_

Haylie couldn't believe it. Who could be this anxious to meet with her? What do they want from her? All those questions and many more were racing around her head as she read and reread the letter over and over again.

"Who is it from?" Hermione asked, reading the _Witch Weekly_ she had just received. Haylie took a moment to answer, but slapped on her best smile and looked up at Hermione.

"It's from Michelle," Haylie lied, referring to one of her friends from home, "Mom and Dad had sent her letter here."

"Oh, that's great," Hermione said, continuing to flip through her newspaper. No, this certainly wasn't great. Haylie knew she needed to show the letter to Corinne and Eileen. She needed to get Corinne's attention, without arising suspicion in her sister.

"Oh!" Corinne cried, as Haylie kicked her leg hard. Haylie placed her finger to her mouth and handed Corinne the letter. At first Corinne stared at the letter, not knowing what was expected, but as she started to read the message her eyes grew dark.

"Oh no," Corinne whispered, placing her fingers to her lips. Haylie nodded and stood up. She needed to think of some suspects, so she could be prepared for her visit to the Hufflepuff graveyard that night.


	10. Lost Souls and Cloaked Dreams

Deep concern shone through Eileen's, normally happy and sarcastic, eyes. She had just been informed of Haylie's choice to go and see the anonymous stalker that had been tormenting Haylie and almost cost Elvin's life.

"You aren't seriously thinking of going to that graveyard alone are you?" Eileen asked, placing her hands on her hips. Disbelief shadowed her face as Haylie nodded yes to her question.

"You can't! He may hurt you or…do….many more horrible things to you!" Eileen snapped, seizing Haylie's arm and pulling her away from the small backpack she was filling. Haylie loosened Eileen's grip on her forearm and moved away from her quickly. Nothing and no one was going to change her mind.

"Sorry Eileen, but I have to do this myself," Haylie said, zipping her backpack, "If one of you go with me he may kill somebody, even us!"

"So we're supposed to sit here all night and wait for the news that you've been killed? Sorry, but no," Eileen shouted bitterly. In some strange way Haylie felt a pinch of flattery. She loved Eileen for being so concerned, but disliked her for the same reason.

"I'll be fine! Just don't worry about me," Haylie assured her friends turning the golden doorknob until she heard the clicking noise, which told her the door was free to open. Neither Corinne nor Eileen spoke a word as Haylie pushed the door shut. Darkness along with hushed silence consumed the chilly hallways. All nervousness had been flushed from Haylie's mind and she continued on with high hope and spirits.

"Why do you Gryffindors always travel through the passageways this late at night?" a crackled voice echoed from about 5 feet in front of Haylie. At first the voice startled her and her fingers hurt badly as she clutched her flashlight tightly in her hand. Luckily, it was just the raspy voice of Sir Frederick Jonathan Landlelake, one of the more outspoken wall portraits.

"Sorry Sir Landlelake, just needed some fresh air," Haylie whispered, giggling softly as she walked past his frame. He grunted and turned, pulling his blankets over himself. The rest of the journey through the Hogwarts corridors was easy and silent. She finally reached the same door she had exited through the night she ran out into the rain, only this time no droplets of water fell from the night sky. Instead of the rain, huge gusts of wind blew through the outskirts of Hogwarts. Haylie wrapped her wool sweater tighter around herself and trudged forward, trying to make as little noise as humanly possible. She remembered that Hermione had told her that the Hufflepuff Graveyard was to the right of the Gryffindor Tower. Unfortunately, there were four towers in all and Haylie didn't have a clue to which one was home to the Gryffindors. The foggy moonlight allowed Haylie to see as she gazed up at the tops of the castle, trying to find an sign to which tower was which. Suddenly, her attention was aimed away from the towers as a dark flying creature burst from the forest, soaring straight towards her head. Haylie screamed and threw herself to the ground, covering her head with only one arm. To her amazement, the flying creature flew right by her and traveled to the far left tower. Once she was sure she was safe, she jumped to her feet, which were wobbly and shaky.

"It was just an owl," Haylie whispered to herself, letting out a huge sigh of relief from deep within her chest. With this revelation came another. She could hear the hooting of the owls faintly. This meant that the Gryffindor Tower was in one of the father towers.

"It was the one that owl flew to!" Haylie realized, her feet steady and her whole body calm. Now that she knew where she was going all she had to worry about was getting there on time. Haylie paused and yanked her right sleeve up to her elbow. A shiny green watch was revealed and she bent down closely to see the time. It was 12:13am. She had less than an hour to reach the graveyard. Haylie figured she had plenty of time, but planned on arriving early, just to plan some escape routes out of the graveyard.

The calmness that Haylie had felt before turned to complete fear as she approached the eerie Hufflepuff Graveyard. She was so close, now, that she could read the name of the first tombstone clearly. **Helga Hufflepuff**. Of course, Haylie thought trying to calm herself, it is her graveyard after all. She wasn't the only witch that rested in the graveyard. Haylie could see hundreds of graves stretched throughout the graveyard, which was surrounded by a crooked metal fence. The crest of the Hufflepuff House was embedded into each pole of the fence, as well as the graves themselves.

"Here it goes," Haylie mumbled, her voice shaky and scared. The handle of the fence felt cold on her fingers and she pushed the door open as fast as she could, hearing it bang as it closed. She jumped, but her eyes remained wide and alert. Out of discomfort rather than for actual purpose, Haylie checked her watch. This time it read 12:41am. This didn't please Haylie at all.

"I want to go back!" Haylie cried, sitting down and resting her head on a tombstone. She was now sitting in the center of the Hufflepuff Graveyard, her eyes tired and begging to shut. She moved one of her legs and was startled by a loud crack. She looked down and saw she had rested her foot on a stick, which was now broken in two.

"I am going crazy," Haylie muttered, placing her hand on her forehead. Once she had settled down and regained her attention, she finally saw the gravestone she was leaning on.

"**Lauren Shockley**_, January 8, 1957- June 24, 1988. Loving Daughter, Wife, and Mother. Forever she shall shine in the light of her wand…._" Haylie knew the name was familiar. Where have I heard the name Shockley before, she asked herself. Finally it came to her.

"Damon! Damon's last name is Shockley!" Haylie gasped, shaking her head sadly, "Could this be his…mother?" For once Haylie felt compassion for the boy who had seemed so much like a pig on the train ride on the Hogwarts Express. Unfortunately, somebody else didn't.

"Why are you speaking of this Damon Shockley?" a voice boomed from behind her. Haylie jumped, whipping herself around to face the person who had been sending her the letters.

"Who are you?" Haylie asked, backing away from the cloaked figure. To her surprise the stalker was not much bigger than a regular sized man, but his voice was deep and raspy. His, or her, cloak appeared to be that of a Halloween costume of a dementor, but Haylie knew that no one would go out on Halloween as one of those horrible creatures.

"Do you really expect me to tell you," the raspy voice choked, coming closer to Haylie, "You should already know." Haylie shook her head, once again stepping away from the person. The first person that came to her was Voldemort.

"What do you want?" Haylie shouted, almost tripping over another headstone. Luckily, she kept herself from falling to the ground.

"I want many things Haylie," the deep voice explained, "I want power over everyone! I want to rule the witching world and I want to be the king of all magic. Of course I also want new socks, but you can't always get _everything_ you want."

"I _mean_, what do you want with me?" After Haylie said things, laughter roared from the cloak. It was so loud, Haylie worried that someone would hear it from the castle.

"You? You are just my tool. You are my tool to get someone else," the figure stepped closer, "Of course, I haven't actually studied you enough to know if you have any special sort of powers. If you do, then I will just have to take them. Or keep you around me." Haylie bit her lip, wishing that Eileen or Corinne had come with her. All she wanted was for someone to come and help her.

"Who is it that you want?" Haylie yelled. More laughter erupted from the cloaked stalker.

"If I tell you that information this soon, I may as well be giving them a warning sign to leave! I may be short, but I am definitely not stupid."

"I don't understand why you want me here! Why can't you get someone else to do your work?" Haylie questioned, the fear rushing out of her mind and body. Haylie now knew that the figure wouldn't harm her, so trying to get as much information out of the person would be influential.

"Because you are the only one who can accomplish all I want you to do."

"What is that?" Haylie asked, not really wanting to know what she was supposed to do.

"I first want you to get me all the passwords from all four of the houses," the raspy voice was beginning to clear and she now could tell the voice wasn't real, "and that is all for tonight, but I will send you another note informing you of the next time we will meet. You better be there with all of the passwords or you will seriously regret it." Haylie nodded and watched as the cloaked person ran into the thicket of trees behind the graveyard, disappearing from her sight. Haylie felt nervous once again. The thought of handing over somebody's life to that evil person didn't give her comfort or happiness. She would be killing someone, perhaps somebody she knew,. Perhaps that person would be Hermione. The thought of it was unbearable and Haylie sat down and closed her eyes, dreaming of her old carefree life...Dreaming of her life as a Muggle.

"Wake up," a male voice yelled. Haylie could feel someone pushing her arm strongly, getting more impatient by the second. Although her head felt numb and her hands felt cold, Haylie sat up. She forced her eyelids to lift and when they did she saw that Hogwarts and its grounds were still blanketed in darkness.

"Haylie? Is that you?" the voice asked, kneeling next to her. It took Haylie a few moments to recognize the boy next to her.

"Damon? What time is it?" Haylie asked, pulling herself to her feet, with help from Damon and the smooth tombstone. He shrugged but then spotted her watch. He grabbed her arm and turned it so he could see the time clearly.

"It's 1:49 in the morning, why are you out here?" Damon asked, releasing her arm and rubbing his own eyes.

"I guess I should be asking you the same," Haylie muttered, trying to fully wake up.

"I came to visit a grave," Damon mumbled, peering at the gravestone Haylie was leaning on. Then Haylie remembered what she had read just an hour before.

"Is that your mother?" Haylie asked, as she watched Damon place the flowers he was holding upon the grave. Before Damon could answer someone else entered the graveyard.

"Who's there?" Professor Snape's voice called, spotting them. A small smirk appeared on his face and he motioned for them to follow him.

"Granger and Shockley. Who would've ever guessed?"

"Professor we were just…" Haylie tried to say but was cut short.

"Oh I know, Granger. You two are a bit young for that aren't you?" Snape's smirk turned into a full-blown smile, "Anyway you're out after hours. Let's see what the Headmaster has to say about your little midnight outing."

"But Professor Snape," Damon retorted, anger in his voice, "We were just visiting graves. Some of my family is in here and Haylie needs to research the…Muggle-born defeaters. So we both just came down here to…do that." Haylie could tell Damon was blushing, even through the darkness.

"Nice try Shockley," Snape snapped bitterly, turning around and walking towards the entrance of the gate.

"Follow me children."

"Yes Professor Snape." Both first-years said in unison, stepping forward to follow their Potions master. As they ventured toward the Hogwarts castle doors Haylie felt thankful that Damon had tried to get both of them out of trouble. She smiled and glanced at him, but he was staring straight ahead, glaring at the back of Snape's head. Haylie couldn't help but feel wary as well, because both Damon and Snape had been out side at that graveyard. For all she knew, one of them could be the cloaked man.


	11. Listing the Possibilities

"Go back to your dormitories and stay there," Snape ordered sternly, his fierce eyes jerking back and forth, "We will deal with the headmaster and your inevitable punishments in the morning." Haylie stood beside Damon, who stood a few inches taller than her, and sighed. Damon glanced at her and spoke the password to enter the Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady awoke and yawned, her plump legs kicking into her chair, which fell to the ground. Impatiently, Damon snapped the password once again and both children gave her icy frowns.

"Oh! See what you both made me do!" she yelled, getting up, "Fine, I will let you in." Once the door opened, both hurried to the stairs. Then they stopped looking at each other comfortably at the foot of the stairway. Out of politeness, Damon stepped back, leaving room for Haylie to proceed.

"Ladies first," Damon said quietly in his old arrogant way, not looking Haylie directly in the eyes. A few seconds later Haylie could feel her face grow warm as if she was blushing, but then it turned cool again as she remembered that Damon was the number one suspect in her search for the cloaked man's identity.

"Thank you," Haylie said sweetly, traveling up the steps, "Goodnight Damon."

"G'Night," Damon answered as they both went to their own dormitories. Haylie pushed open her door to see Eileen sitting up in bed, writing in some sort of diary. When she heard Haylie enter she jumped out of bed, overjoyed.

"You're alive! You're not hurt! Are you hurt?" Eileen yelled, wrapping her arms around Haylie. Now both Natalie and Corinne were wide-awake. Natalie, who knew nothing of the current situation, fell back onto her pillow and rolled over. Within seconds she was asleep. On the other hand, Corinne knew everything and climbed out of bed to give Haylie reassuring hug.

"So…what happened?" Corinne asked nosily, guiding Haylie over to her own bed.

"Well, I went to the graveyard," Haylie began to tell her story quietly, "and I sat down amongst the tombstones for a little while and then I heard this raspy voice from behind me. I turned and there was this person in a long, draping cloak. He almost resembled a Dementor. We both talked for a little while and he told me I was going to be used as a tool to bring down someone."

"Who?" Corinne asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me," Haylie continued, " Then he told me he would send me another letter about where to meet next and he told me I have to find out the passwords for all four houses and give them to him."

"You can't do that! That's like supplying him a victim that he can kill!" Eileen protested, shaking her head violently.

" I have to! He told me he would hurt someone, maybe even kill them! What if that person is one of you two! What if it's Hermione! I can't take that chance!" No one spoke for a moment. The tension after that last comment was heavy and Haylie knew why. This was probably the first time that Corinne and Eileen realized they were in real danger. By being Haylie's friend they were making themselves likely targets of the stalker's wrath.

"It won't be any of us, because we won't let him hurt anyone," Corinne finally whispered. Eileen nodded her head in instant agreement and both girls began asking more questions.

"So? Anything else happen?" Corinne asked.

"Well he then left the graveyard and I took a slight nap," Haylie smiled, "Then I woke up about twenty minutes ago by Damon Shockley pushing me awake! He was out in the graveyard."

"Really? Damon Shockley? That smart mouth kid?" Eileen couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, he was visiting a grave," Haylie bowed her head, thinking of his sad eyes as he had looked at the grave. She remembered those eyes, how they dimmed immediately when he laid them upon the tombstone.

"He was visiting his mother's grave," Haylie mumbled, tugging on a loose string hanging off her fuzz cotton pillow. It tore off and she placed it on the bed and wiped it to the edge with the back of her hand.

"Anyway…Snape came out and found us," Haylie frowned, scrunching her nose up, "So now I have those two as suspects for my case."

"Your case?" Eileen questioned.

"Yeah, I need to find the identity of this man," Haylie told them, taking out a piece of paper and a pen, "First names on my list, Snape and Shockley."

"Why Snape?" Corinne asked, looking truly puzzled about everything. Haylie gave her a weak smile and tried to explain.

"Because he showed up at the Hufflepuff Graveyard. What possible reason could he have for being there that late at night," Haylie repeated, realizing how hard making her list would be. There were a few clues she already had to help her.

"Okay…the person said that he needed the passwords for all four houses, but only mentioned one victim he was after…so there is no way of telling which house the victim will be in…"Haylie scratched her forehead. Nothing made sense to her tired brain this late at night. Obviously, she was not the only person exhausted and desperately craving for some shut-eye. Corinne yawned loudly, her eyes blood-shot and glassy. Even Eileen, who usually held the title as the life of the party, appeared tired as well.

"Why don't we finish this tomorrow," Haylie suggested, slowly opening her drawer and placing the paper and pen inside. She pushed it shut painstakingly.

"Good idea!" Eileen said jumping into bed and immediately falling asleep. Within two minutes Eileen began to snore loudly. Corinne, who seemed more tired than any of them, began to get impatient with Eileen's slumber activities. Once ten minutes had passed Corinne finally decided to do something about it. She grabbed her favorite stuffed bear, anger flashing in her eyes. Haylie really loved that bear as well. It was so soft! It felt like velvet and the little strips of thread that held it together shined in the light as if it was real, genuine silk. Corinne had told Haylie that she had purchased the red, white, and blue colored bear when she took a trip to America with her family. A small smile spread across Haylie's face as she watched Corinne through the darkness. The purpose of Corinne's action of picking up the bear and hurling it at the sleeping Eileen was evident.

"Oh!" Eileen yelled, sitting up instantly, "What did you do that for?"

"You need to shut up! Every night you snore hour after hour and I can never get some sleep, so tonight I'll make _you_ stay awake!" Corinne yelled. Both girls stared daggers at each other, and Haylie's smile continued as she rolled over and fell asleep.

Since the next day was a Sunday, all three girls slept into the late hours of the morning. Neither of them woke up before 10:30am. Haylie was the first to awake and she tiptoed to where her paper and pen was hidden. Once she had retrieved her supplies she walked over to both Eileen's and Corinne's beds and shook them awake.

"Come on let's go get some breakfast and then we can come back up here and figure this list out," Haylie proposed. Corinne, although still half-asleep, nodded her head slowly. Eileen grunted in agreement and rolled back over. Haylie glared at her friend and Corinne assisted her friend in grabbing Eileen's legs and pulling her out from under her blankets.

"Fine! Fine, I'm up! Let's just go," Eileen snapped, grabbing the clothes she would wear for the day and dragging them into the bathroom. Corinne and Haylie decided to change in the room, since Natalie had left.

"Who do you think it was Haylie?" Corinne asked, facing the blank wall as she changed.

"I really don't know Corinne," Haylie admitted, facing the window in the opposite direction. An owl flew up above the trees and Haylie smiled as she saw students starting to filter out into the Hogwart's grounds.

"Why don't we go to that field around the lake? There's never anyone else there and I think we all need a little fresh air," Haylie said, wrapping a coat around herself and turning around. Corinne had also just finished dressing and it wasn't long until Eileen joined them.

A cold gust of wind whipped their faces as they traveled across the cracked stone bridge and down to the other side of the large, still lake. They were headed for the stone chairs, a nickname they had invented for the five large rocks sitting in a type of circular pattern. The spot was never used except for witches or wizards who had serious problems they had to think about. Once Haylie, Corinne, and Eileen arrived, they all chose one rock for themselves and sat upon them. Now rested and refreshed, the girls were ready to pick the suspects for their case.

"Okay, so lets get to work," Haylie said, "I really believe that the person he is after is in Gryffindor. I just don't know who the person is."

"Well, obviously the cloaked guy wasn't a girl, right? You said that the person had a raspy, male voice."

"He did have a male voice, but I could tell it was fake. I think the person was talking through one of those megaphones or had a spell put over them to disguise their voice. Honestly, I wouldn't rule out the girls," Haylie stated, writing on her parchment. Corinne lifted her chin a little and appeared to be thinking really hard. Haylie noticed that Eileen seemed nervous and wouldn't look Haylie directly in the eyes. This caught Haylie's attention and Haylie wrote Eileen's name in on the parchment under Snape and Damon. Then she also decided to add Corinne's as well. Haylie knew she couldn't trust anyone fully until the stalker was found.

"So what should we do?" Eileen asked, sighing. Haylie tried to think.

"I think we should concentrate on people in Gryffindor and in Slytherin. After all, they are the rivaling houses. So, let's name people from those houses and we can rule them out or add them to the list." Haylie picked up her pen and gazed up at her friends.

"How about Brent Clayton," Corinne said, excitedly. This was one name for the list.

"Of course! That boy has been so…evil from the beginning," Eileen added, nodding her head madly. Haylie wrote Brent's name down and marked an "S" beside it to indicate his current house.

"We are just naming people?" Eileen asked Haylie, "Any person?"

"Yeah, just go thought the houses and say the people we know of," Haylie told her.

"How about…Harry Potter?" Eileen asked, looking between Corinne and Haylie. Both of them shook their heads.

"Harry is the epitome of good," Haylie said, still shaking her head.

"Corey Price?" Haylie asked them, thinking of suspects from Slytherin.

"Yeah, he hangs out with Brent sometimes and he shaved Thomas Dillard's eyebrows off the third day of school," Eileen agreed, laughing. All of them couldn't help but smile while thinking back to Thomas the day after Corey had brutalized him. No hair was left where his eyebrows should have been. Haylie added Corey's name to the list.

"How about Thomas Dillard?" Corinne said, "after all, he never forgave Corey." Haylie decided not to add his name.

"Ginny Weasley," Eileen suggested, thinking of random people. Haylie shook her head.

"Ron Weasley?" Haylie had to think about this one. She ultimately decided to put Ron on the suspect list.

"Colin Creevey," Corinne said, pretending to take a picture. They all laughed and both Eileen and Haylie said no.

"Jenna Jacobson." No.

"Alexander Darien." No

"Parvati Patil," Eileen mentioned.

"Actually, she always did seem a bit…conniving to me. Lets put her down," Haylie said, writing her name down.

"Elvin Danebridge," Eileen added.

"No. Remember he was in coma for _days,"_ Haylie said, the incident still bringing an unwelcome tear to her eye. She wiped it away quickly and proceeded on.

"Hermione," Corinne whispered, so Haylie could almost not hear. Haylie hadn't thought of that. Honestly, she didn't _want_ to think about that. Sensing the tension, Eileen decided to add a different name.

"Rose Forbes," Eileen said. Very likely. Suddenly, the noise of small tree branches cracking reached their ears. All three spun around to see Rose Forbes standing there.

"I heard my name," Rose said coolly, walking toward their seating places, "What are you three up to? Having fun?" Haylie was the first to answer, after she slammed her notebook shut and placed it behind the rock. Rose's eyebrows furrowed.

"We were just enjoying the scenery. You don't see a view like this in down-town London," Haylie chirped, trying her best to fake smile. Rose's eyebrows rose even higher as she observed Haylie, Corinne, and Eileen.

"Well….we'll just be going then," Eileen said, standing on her feet and jumping off her rock, "After all, we do have that report on the Hitchupek Potion." Corinne and Haylie nodded. Haylie grabbed her notebook and hid it under her jacket, not wanting Rose to know what they were up to.

"Okay, bye," Rose muttered under her breath. Haylie sighed and glanced back at Rose as they reached the end of the bridge.


	12. The Graveyard Shift

"Your punishment will be to spend this Saturday working in the Hufflepuff Graveyard," Professor McGonagall's eyes flashed as she stood before Haylie and Damon. Snape had just informed her of their meeting in the graveyard the night before, and from what Haylie could tell, McGonagall was angry. Damon gulped beside her, obviously part scared of McGonagall's reaction and part annoyed at Snape, who stood beside McGonagall grinning.  
"You obviously enjoy your time there, so you will clean the graveyard from the very first gravestone to the very last. You will be raking leaves, polishing headstones, picking up sticks, replacing dead flowers with fresh daisies, and fixing broken parts of the fence. You will keep working until all the work is done. Do I make my self clear?"  
"Sure," Damon grunted, glaring at Snape. Haylie just nodded, not caring what she had to do, only hoping that the cloaked man would not return. Once McGonagall was assured that both children understood, she excused them from her office. As Haylie walked through the door she saw Corinne waiting for her near the statue of Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts.  
"So...How bad is it?" Corinne asked as both herself and Haylie continued down the busy hallway. Dinner was about to begin in the Great Hall, so all students were to report there immediately. The First years seemed to be the only students who followed all directions when they were meant to be followed. The older grades didn't listen as much.  
"I have to spend all Saturday in the Hufflepuff Graveyard with Damon," Haylie sighed, walking into the Great Hall with a huge group of other Gryffindors. Corinne's nose wrinkled in disappointment. Both girls sat down near the end of the Gryffindor table and waited for more of their friends to arrive.

Haylie snatched her small book bag out of Corinne's hands. The time was 9:30AM, the Saturday Haylie and Damon were supposed to clean the graveyard. As usual Haylie's friends couldn't help but insist upon joining her.  
"Don't even think about coming with me," Haylie ordered both Eileen and Haylie," I wouldn't want you to have to spend any of your time in detention!" Eileen let out a strange noise that told Haylie she was annoyed directly after Haylie said this. Eileen had always been one to say her mind and never minded telling people what to do.  
"We can't leave you there with Shockley for... a whole day! What kind of friends would we be?" Eileen shook her head and grabbed her own stuffed book bag from the foot of her already made bed. Haylie wouldn't allow it.  
"I don't want you to get in trouble," Haylie exclaimed, walking to the door, "I'm serious Eileen, don't follow me!" Something about Eileen's eyes changed. The spark that had flashed only a few moments ago had burnt out. Haylie didn't understand what had happened, but she knew that Eileen wouldn't follow her. Her conscience wouldn't allow it.

The chilly November breeze whipped Haylie's hair across her face. Small soft pink circles appeared upon her cheeks and she wrapped her coat closer to her body. Even in the short hours before breakfast students were running around the courtyard, studying or hanging out with friends. Her eyes squinted as the breeze once again approached Haylie's face.  
"Why is it so cold?" Haylie mumbled quietly, longingly turning her neck to take one last look at the students having fun behind her. Grudgingly, Haylie pursued her journey through the Hogwarts grounds toward the Hufflepuff Graveyard. As she moved further away from the courtyard the joyful noises of kids talking and laughing dyed away and the bright sunshine became gloomier beneath the trees. Once she could finally see the graveyard from a distance, Haylie sighed and froze. She closed her eyes and hoped that Damon had already reached the graveyard. With Damon there Haylie knew that the cloaked figure wouldn't attack her or even come close.  
"Come on Haylie!" Damon's voice reached her frozen ears. She could see him waving to her from behind a gravestone and she smiled. The immediate feeling of fear she had felt before had been blown away with the wind. The figure couldn't harm her now.  
"All right" Haylie yelled, hurrying to the entrance of the graveyard. During the daytime the graveyard seemed less foreboding and creepy. In fact, Haylie felt no sign of unwelcomed feelings of fear commence her. She saw Damon hunched over near one of the tombstones, polishing every inch of the tarnished marble. When Haylie entered Damon turned his head to face her and lifted from the ground. He wiped off some dirt that had stained his jeans and handed her a clean dishrag. Haylie's smile faltered and she reluctantly took the soft rag. Damon started to laugh and handed her some cleaner as well.  
"Sorry Hun, but we aren't allowed to use magic here," Damon laughed, "Did you think we wouldn't have to get our hands dirty?" Haylie began to deny that accusation but realized that that was exactly what she had expected.

"Yeah," Haylie muttered, "Why do you have to call me Hun?"  
"Because..." Damon lowered down to the Earth and continued to polish.  
"Because why?" Haylie demanded, placing her fists on her hips. Damon just shook his head, never taking his eyes from the stone, with a huge smile plastered upon his face. Haylie couldn't help but smile as well as she walked to the tombstone beside Damon and began to deeply clean the stone.  
"So..." Haylie started, glancing at Damon, but quickly returning her gaze to the imprinted words on the dirty marble, "How are you doing with the classes?"

"They're okay, but I don't think I'm very good at Charms," Damon responded, finally completing his tombstone and moving to the next, which was unfortunately even filthier than the first.  
"Yeah Charms is hard, but it's really fun. I don't like Potions," Haylie told him, shaking off a small black spider that was crawling slowly up her pant-leg. Damon shrugged his shoulders.  
"I don't mind Potions," Damon said, smirking as h looked at Haylie, "But Snape doesn't hate me like he hates you."  
"Well, I can deal with him," Haylie said knowingly, completing her cleaning and standing up. Both children continued to clean the headstones with little or no talking between them; until Haylie reached the one headstone she desperately wanted an answer about.  
"Is that your mother?" Haylie whispered, pointing to the next gravestone ready to be polished. Damon's eyes seemed cloudy as he peered at the gravestone Haylie was motioning to. Sadness seemed to overcome the boy who Haylie had never understood or even cared about. It would be a few seconds before Damon finally cleared his dry throat and answered her question.  
"Yeah," Damon 's voice cracked. Under his brave act, Haylie could tell that there was another emotion rushing through Damon's body. The emotion of true hurt and pain had never been present in Haylie's life. Of course she had felt sadness and grief in a collection of very few instances, but never had Haylie dealt with an emotion of pain so powerful that it consumes your entire body and soul. Although Damon looked perfectly fine, this deep feeling seemed to waft from him, it showed through his hazy eyes. Even though Haylie understood that opening his past wounds would hurt him even more, Haylie's curiousity reigned over her compassion and she asked the question that had haunted her.

"How did she die?"  
"She died a long time ago," Damon responded almost immediately, "My mother was a muggle-born, as was my father. You remember when Weasley told you about the Muggle-born defeaters, right? You remember what they did and who they were, right?" The gloomy fact was that Haylie did remember what the muggle-born defeaters had done, but she also remembered Damon's instant and horrified reaction to them. From what she could remember, Ron had said that the muggle-born defeaters were followers of Voldemort. He also told her that their targets were muggle-born witches and wizards. Over one hundred brutal murders were committed.  
" Yeah I remember," Haylie reassured him, bowing her head low. He then continued with his story.  
"Well, my mother was murdered by them. I was very young at the time, but I do still remember. Mom and me took a trip to Hogsmeade to buy some stuff...I don't even remember what we had gone there for. It was such a nice day to, all sunny and bright. Anyway, we were walking down the street near the Hogs Head and all of a sudden we could hear a loud, blood curdling scream arise from one of the stores. Then four people dressed in a disguise came out with their wands in hand and headed right towards us. My mother instinctively pushed me into a bush beside us and the next thing I knew I was in the dark, hearing my mother die from within the needle sharp branches of the bush."  
"Oh...that's horrible!" Haylie cried, an unwelcome tear trickling down her already cold cheek, "Did your father come get you."  
"No," Damon continued polishing the headstone, even when it was already as clean as a whistle, "My father was killed...murdered by them that same day. Only he was at home. His grave is in the Gryffindor Graveyard." Haylie couldn't believe what she was hearing or witnessing. How could Damon not be breaking down into fits of incessant crying? How could he not be effected by his brutal past in the least? Haylie turned away from him, not wanting him to see her crying. Already an hour into her detention and she had had enough.  
"That's it!" Haylie jumped to her feet throwing her rag and cleaner to the dirty ground, "I've had enough of cleaning. I don't care if we need to hide in our dormitories until dinner! I will not stay in this stupid graveyard all day long." With that determined speech she took out her wand.  
"_Alles Cleanarmis_," Haylie shouted, flicking her wand slightly in the direction of the tombstones. In an instant all the stones were cleaned, shining in the sun with no dirt or dust covering them. Next, Haylie moved on to the fence. Soon she had cleaned the whole entire graveyard with just a couple flicks of a wand and one powerful spell. Damon stood up and smiled.  
"Good job Granger," Damon tilted his chin upwards, "I never thought you had it in ya!"  
"Oh believe me," Haylie said proudly, "I am very surprising when I want to be." Damon's smile told her that she had definitely impressed his own large ego.  
"Now if you don't mind," Haylie began to walk away, "I would like to go hang out with my friends in the nice, warm dormitories of Hogwarts."  
"Oh wait," Damon halted her, "I almost forgot to give this to you." Haylie spun on her heel and stood a few inches from Damon. In his outstretched hand he held a small white envelope with the name HAYLIE written neatly on the front. Her eyes grew big as she stared at the letter. Then she looked up at Damon.  
"What...What is this?" Haylie stammered, all her happiness draining from her body. Damon shrugged his shoulders and pushed the letter into Haylie's hands.  
"I don't know. I swear I didn't read it," Damon told her, " I found it on the floor in the Library and I guessed it was for you, since it says Haylie and all."  
"Well, thanks," Haylie turned and ran away from him. She now knew her deepest concerns were answered. Damon was the cloaked figure.


	13. A Year Early

Mid-November had arrived. The Forbidden Forest that outlined the grounds of Hogwarts soon became an array of bright colors, just before the leaves began to fall. Also, this marked the day Haylie would revisit the Hufflepuff graveyard for her next command. More than two weeks had passed since Damon had flashed Haylie a smile before handing her a note, which ordered her to follow its directions. Haylie was to meet the cloaked figure at the Hufflepuff graveyard, once again, and tell him or her the passwords of all four houses. Although, she knew how dangerous it would be to risk the lives of her friends, even her own life, Haylie knew that she must go through with the person's orders.

"Haylie...come on! We're gonna be late for breakfast," Hermione's voice called, awaking Haylie from her dream. A busy Hermione was running back and forth from her room to Haylie's room, trying to wake everyone up.

"What are you doing?" Haylie grunted, lifting herself up on her elbows and rubbing her itchy eyes. In the bed beside her lay Corinne, who was also yawning and fighting to fully emerge from the deep realms of sleep. Eileen was already dressed in her robes and applying her pale blush and mascara. Haylie smiled. Eileen seemed to be the only first-year who wore any sort of make-up besides chap stick. Maybe that was because of her very adult childhood. Eileen's mother always believed that young girls should be proper and lady-like and should express those qualities through speech and appearance. Unfortunately, Eileen hadn't always been the little darling her mother had wished. In fact, Eileen even now seemed to be outspoken and a kind of rebel.

"Where's Hermione? I just heard her," Haylie mumbled grumpily, hoisting her heavy blanket off her body. Finally, done her applying, Eileen glanced at Haylie and smiled as she began to lock her make-up back in her jewelry box.

"She said she went to wake up Ginny and Luna," Eileen said, "Odd names they have don't they?" At that moment Hermione entered the room. A frown appeared on her face when she saw the mascara tube clamped in Eileen's fingers.

"You are too young for make-up," Hermione told her, though she seemed to do nothing about it. Eileen just shrugged her shoulders and dropped the black cylinder in her ebony jewelry box. Then she slowly closed the lid and traveled into the lavatory. Once she was out of sight Hermione rolled her eyes and continued her path to the closet. Haylie watched as Hermione opened the closet doors and began to rummage through the wardrobe, not stopping till she had successfully removed Corinne and Haylie's robes from their hangers and placed each girl's uniforms on the ends of their beds. Instantly, after she had laid Haylie's outfit across her bed Hermione rushed out of the room, not saying a word to the girls.

"Your sister is weird," Corinne muttered absentmindedly, beginning to push herself out of bed. Just as Haylie was about to pick up her skirt, Eileen emerged from the bathroom, a small golden key in her hand. She went to the bureau and inserted the key into the tiny lock on the outside. Haylie could hear the familiar clicking sound that assured all three girls that the ebony jewelry box was locked and secure.

* * *

"Alright children, lets begin our very exciting class," Professor Drummel chirped excitedly, "I know you are all excited that we will finally be riding our brooms today. Are we excited children?"

"Yes, Professor Drummel," everyone said in unison, silently laughing at the new flying professor. Haylie bit her lip nervously, looking down at her broom, which was lying amidst the grassy fields of Hogwarts. To be completely honest, Haylie did not want to get on her old, torn up broom. She was scared to death of falling, and scared to death of heights.

"Miss Granger! Are you paying attention?" Professor Drummel's abnormally high pitched voice rang. Haylie shuddered, but gathered her composure and assured the old woman that she was fine.

"Well, everyone...have a great time and remember if you feel uneasy or sick just fly down here and we can transport you to the nurses office. Everyone ready? One...two..." Everybody took off. At once Haylie could feel a rush run through her tingling body and she tried her hardest not to look down. Beside her she could see Eileen laughing and lifting her hands off the shaky broom.

"This is actually fun," Haylie yelled, smiling. Her hair swirled in the wind. She felt alive and free for the first time in two weeks. The cloaked figure couldn't harm her up here.

" Woooooooohoooooooo," Haylie screamed, high-fiving Corinne, who flew beside her. The rush that continued to flow through her limbs ignited a flame deep inside her, a spark of ambition and a sense of a risk taker that had been hidden throughout her eleven years of life. This spark caused her to do the unimaginable. Haylie flipped over on her broom. She performed flips, twirls, and many other tricks she felt Hermione would have a heart-attack even seeing them .

"Haylie Granger! Come down here!" a voice yelled from below her. Once Haylie flew closer to the ground she could see Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley all staring her way.

"Oh no," Haylie fearfully whispered, closing her eyes and taking a long, deep breath. She lowered to the ground and looked back up towards the sky, where she saw dozens of students flying on their brooms. As she gazed up at the moving figures she felt a twinge of self-confidence, seeing that no other person had attempted to perform tricks in the manner she had.

"Miss Granger I'm astounded at how well you were flying up there," Professor McGonagall said, a huge smile appearing on her face, "Almost as well as Mr. Potter, here, did his first year."

"Thank You Professor," Haylie said, loving the attention she was receiving. Ohmigosh, are they gonna ask me to be on the Quidditch team, Haylie thought instantly. She glanced over at her sister's two best friends, both wearing similar smiles to those of Haylie and Professor McGonagall.

* * *

"I am thinking that maybe we should train you harder," Professor McGonagall continued, receiving nods of agreement from both Harry and Ron, "Next year some of our players will be leaving Hogwarts and we will need new team members to fill their spots. You would be a perfect chaser, or maybe even a beater. If we start to train you now, we may be able to use you as a replacement this year if someone gets hurt. Also, next year when we place you on the team we can beat the living daylights out of Slytherin!" Professor McGonagall punched her fist in the air, narrowly missing Ron's nose.

"That would be great professor," Haylie replied excitedly.

"Great. Now Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter have volunteered to help work with you three nights a week. I know that you and your sister are very close with them so you will be able to choose which nights you wish to begin with," Professor McGonagall began to turn around, "Now continue with your class."

"Okay! Thank you!" Haylie yelled, taking one last leap of joy before jumping back on her broom and flying sharply into the air.

"This is gonna be so fun!" Haylie said, after telling her sister about her spot on the Quidditch team, "I'm practically guaranteed a spot next year! I can't believe it!"

"You deserved it Haylie," Harry told her, lifting a chicken leg off his full plate.

"Yeah you're really good," Ron added, gulping his pumpkin juice. Haylie smiled and started to consume her dinner.

"I'm really happy for you Hay," Hermione said, giving Haylie a small hug, "I'm sure you'll be wonderful next year."

"What's going on?" a squeaky voice whispered from beside Haylie. She turned around and saw Elvin looking at her nervously.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you," Elvin whispered, lowering his head, "I didn't mean to."

"Oh no Elvin you didn't interrupt anyone," Haylie turned in her seat to face him, "You know how Professor McGonagall called me down from my broom today?" Elvin stared at her blankly.

"Yeah...I think so."

"Well she says that I have enough skills as a flyer to probably make Quidditch tryouts next year! So she wants me to train with Harry and Ron so I can be in tip top shape next year. She really wants to beat Slytherin." Haylie finished and took a deep breath. As always Elvin seemed a bit lost. He looked at Haylie as if he was confused and maybe even a bit upset.

"That's great Haylie," Elvin mumbled, picking at his mashed potatoes with his fork.

"Are you alright Elvin?" Haylie asked, worried that she had upset him enough for him to cry. What is he upset about anyway?

"Yeah...I just wish I could be that good and then maybe..."Elvin paused awkwardly, "Maybe i could make the Quidditch team. I've never been very good at anything besides my grades and every sports team I tried out for when I was little...I just never made the cut." This statement made Haylie feel incredibly guilty. Elvin didn't seem like the sports type. Then again, he seemed to really love the game of Quidditch. Suddenly a wonderful idea flashed in Haylie's mind

.  
"I know," Haylie said excitedly, "Why don't you train with me, Harry and Ron! I'm sure we could help you make the team next year as well!" Elvin's eyes seemed to light up.

"Yeah!...but only if it isn't a problem for you...I don't wanna be a problem," Elvin added sheepishly. Haylie shook her head. In fact it would be fun to have Elvin train with her. It would make her and him feel much better.

"Okay, well we start tomorrow night at 5:30pm. Don't be late," Haylie said continuing on with her dinner. Elvin agreed. Haylie couldn't help but notice that all through the remaining dining period, Elvin seemed happy and jumpy._ Maybe my life is changing_, Haylie thought happily.


	14. Hermione's Worry

"Fine, I'm here," Haylie muttered angrily, "What do you want now?"

"Where are they?" the voice boomed, and Haylie almost believed she felt the ground below her feet shake. Haylie sighed and reached into her back pocket, glaring at the cloaked figure standing before her. Finally she heard the crinkling sound of parchment and pulled the list of passwords from her pants. As she handed him the passwords she could feel a tingle crawl up her spine from his touch. His hands were cold.

"Very good," the figure now whispered, a small laugh emerging from behind the heavy cloak.

"I'm really tired," Haylie yawned, feeling too annoyed to deal with her blackmailer, "Can we just get this over with? What do you need me to do now?" More laughter could be heard from the villain. Haylie really didn't understand why he had to act as if all this was a joke, because for her it wasn't. It still puzzled Haylie why she had been chosen to perform this goons dirty work. She was just a skinny little first year, and a muggle-born!

"Don't be impatient with me girl! After all I could kill you right here and now!"

"Just tell me what you want then," Haylie continued to cooperate only for the safety of her friends and sister. It was a few moments before the figure answered her question. Both beings just stood staring at each other loathingly, waiting for the other person t respond. Eventually the cloaked figure began to speak his plan.

"I need you to still keep quiet. I know you've told those two roommates of yours about our little agreement and believe me...I didn't appreciate it," The voice growled, taking a small step toward Haylie, "They better not open their ugly, rotten little mouths and neither must you. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Haylie frowned, not in anger but in confusion. How did this person find out about Corinne and Eileen? What else could he possibly know about? This fact and these questions haunted Haylie's mind, blocking out everything.

"Yeah, whatever," Haylie mumbled, silently ignoring all the person had told her. As she spent this time with the cloaked figure, Haylie tried hard to observe everything as best she could. After all her observations, such as the villain's strange habit of tapping his foot whenever he spoke and directly stopping when someone else talked, she still could not confirm whether the person was a male or female.

"I also need you to steal something I desire. Elvin Danebrigde has something under his mattress. I need you to get it for me, without letting him know it's gone," the voice continued, frequently squeaking horribly. A sudden gasp arose from Haylie's throat. Shock tingled her body.

"Elvin? Why what has he ever done to you?" Haylie demanded angrily. Once again the booming sound of laughter could be heard from the figure's direction. He seemed to always enjoy Haylie's time with him. Haylie never could understand why he laughed at her all the time, or why someone as evil as him could laugh.

"That boy is as worthless as worthless could be, but he holds the key to my plan. You will follow my orders," the shaky voice ordered, "I will see you again Haylie Granger." Instantly, the cloaked person ran, full speed, to the Forbidden Forest. Soon all sight of him had disappeared as he fully entered the dangerous trees. A loud and heavy sigh heaved from Haylie's tired body. From the day she had began her education at Hogwarts her life had been horrible. She could still remember the day she had received that famous letter and how overjoyed she had acted. Now, she just wanted to go home and forget all that had happened to her over the last few months. The nippy winter air slapped her cheeks as Haylie hurried back to the Hogwarts entrance.

"What could Elvin possibly have that the figure wants?" Haylie whispered to herself as she forced the doors to open.

* * *

"Come on Elvin, it's time to go out to the fields," Harry yelled up the stairs to the boys dormitories. Haylie stood beside him, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Where is he? We've been waiting for twenty minutes!" Haylie demanded, turning to Ronald Weasley, who stood a few feet from herself. Ron shrugged sheepishly.

"I'm not sure. He's probably still in his bed snoring loudly," Ron joked, but soon finding that she neither felt it funny nor appropriate.

"Well, he better get his scrawny little butt down here right now because I've got that paper on the Poperatives due by tomorrow and I haven't even started it. Snape will kill me and then_ I_ will kill Elvin," Haylie shot back angrily, marching up the stairs.

"Haylie! You're not allowed to go up there!"

"Yeah right I'm not!" Haylie screamed. As she reached the top of the stairwell a strange scent reached her nose.

"Yuck!" Haylie said, pinching her nose immediately. The odor of sweat and cologne sickened her. Probably because she had once gone to her older cousin's birthday party where there were sixteen-year-old guys drinking. Then they began to bother both Haylie and Hermione, which let Haylie squirt some of her perfume in their faces. It was actually pretty funny to anyone who saw it.

"Elvin Danebridge! Where are you?" Haylie called, knocking on several doors before finding her prey. She was surprised to find Elvin fully dressed, just sitting silently on the edge of his four-poster bed. He didn't even acknowledge her as she stepped into his room.

"Are you coming? Why are you just sitting here?" Haylie asked him, plopping herself next to him. When she lowered her chin she saw his hands shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" Haylie questioned, concern surging through her voice.

"Yeah, I just...I don't want to mess up at these Quidditch practices," Elvin finally turned to her, "With Harry Potter there watching me and Ron Weasley! Ron, who will probably become captain next year, if he doesn't like me or thinks I'm horrible he won't put me on the team."

"That's why you have to practice with us now," Haylie told him, reaching over and taking his hand in hers," So Ron and Harry can see how good you will become and how wonderful you'll be as a..." She paused.

"Beater," Elvin whispered, a smile finally appearing on his face. In her hand she could feel his stop shaking, until finally it was still.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice spat from behind Haylie's shoulder. She closed her eyes a shook her head slightly, hoping against al hope he wouldn't tell.  
"Nothing," Haylie replied, instantly letting go of Elvin's hand. Damon's eyes were narrowed in suspicion. A loud gulp erupted from Elvin's throat and Haylie realized how terrified Elvin really was of Damon.

"You're not allowed up here Granger," Damon warned, shaking his head and starting to walk away from the door. More and more Haylie was starting to believe that Damon was the cloaked figure. She also, to her surprise, didn't want to believe it. Damon was starting to grow on her, and finding out he was evil...it just was not what Haylie wanted or needed.

* * *

Two broomsticks lied on the ground as Ron Weasley tried, with al his strength to untie the powerful bludgers, which would immediately shoot from the box at the speed of light. Boom! Ron fell to the ground as the two tiny balls cut through the air, sending him to the ground with one sharp push. He groaned and lifted himself to his feet.

"I hate those darn things," Ron muttered, rubbing his rear, "No wonder Fred and George loved them!" Harry smiled and picked up his broom, gazing up towards the sun, where the small gold ball was rushing through the sky. Both Haylie and Elvin bent down to reach for their own brooms, which had been borrowed from the stash in the Quidditch closet.

"Let's go," Harry yelled, leaping onto his broom and pushing his feet to the ground with all the force he could muster. Then his feet lifted from the ground like a shot from a gun. They watched as he twirled in the wind, his jet black bangs slapping his forehead rashly. Next was Elvin. Ron had decided to go last so he could help either of the two first years if needed. Now Ron could tell Elvin needed a little push to get going.

"All you have to do is climb onto the wood side of your broom," Ron explained, showing Elvin what to do, "Then you need to hold on tight and push up with your legs, but only with your legs. You don't want to be tumbling face first over the end." Ron laughed at his joke, while Elvin stared straight ahead, his glassy eyeballs stuck in position. He didn't move.

"Come on Elvin," Haylie whispered, touching his shoulder, "I'll be right behind you." He turned to flash her a brief smile, and after one deep breath, he plunged into the air. His stifled scream could be heard from above the roof, as he soared in zigzags. Haylie giggled. She then grinned at Ron, silently telling him to let her do this on her own. He nodded his chin and took a few steps back to where Hermione was now standing. As Haylie was preparing for her next stab at flying, she could hear her sister and Ron having a conversation.

"Are you sure she can do this on her own," Hermione asked Ron, her voice worried, "Why can't you be stubborn with her like you usually are!"

"Because I've seen her in the air before Hermione! She was great," Ron assured the scared Hermione. When Haylie glanced back at her big sister she could see Hermione staring up at Ron, as if she still wasn't one hundred percent sure he was telling her the truth.

"Well...if you're sure..."

"I am Hermione."

"You know I was scared to death when you played your first Quidditch game. With all the noise and the crowds chanting...well, you know...and I have the same feeling with Haylie," Hermione continued on, "What if something happens to her?"

"Believe me Hermione nothing will happen. Nothing happened to me my first game," Ron told her, looking Haylie's way.

"Yes...that's true. But you aren't as fragile as Haylie is..." Haylie giggled as Hermione said this, watching Ron raise his eyebrows.

"What if she falls and gets hurt? What if she dies? I don't know what I'd do!"

"Me and Harry will be helping her and watching her."

"But what if you two can't get to her in time? What if..." Ron raised his hand to Hermione's mouth. She stopped talking at once.

"Since we really need to start practicing and since Haylie is patiently waiting for you to shut your mouth, as have I, I have an idea," Ron said, quickly.

"What?" Hermione questioned, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Since you are obviously too scared to watch her take her plunge, why don't you just shut your eyes and I'll tell you when she is safe up in the air." Hermione's eyebrows dropped and she peered over at Haylie who gave her a little wave. Hermione copied the gesture and nodded her head in agreement. With that she buried her face in Ron's shirt, her head resting on his chest. Satisfied, Ron looked over to Haylie, and with his free arm, told her to go before Hermione changed her mind.

"Here I go!" Haylie thrust into the air with the speed of a fastball, twirling and shouting. Obviously, being closer to the sun helped, as the air being smacked against her face felt warm and welcoming. Beside her she could see Harry, giving her a quick wink and speeding off in the other direction. Elvin, hovered below her, wearing a smile no less than the happiest he had ever worn. Below her she could see the trees of the forbidden forest, still dark and grim in the bright sunlight. Now she was flying over a river, which rippled and splashed as she flew down and let her hand brush the water. Up ahead she spotted Ron still on the ground with Hermione, and both smiling up at her with proud eyes. A feeling of happiness and joy she had never experienced before, consumed her entire being. She knew Quidditch was her only escape from the gray future that would soon come upon her.


	15. The Only Chocolate Lemonade

"Really?" Haylie gasped, her solemn face lighting up abruptly, "We're going back to Hogsmeade?" Hermione gulped down a sip of her pumpkin juice and sighed, tired of repeating the same piece of information so many times.

"Yep, next week," Hermione dipped her shiny silver spoon into her applesauce, which appeared fresh and supple, "I suppose it's to buy Holiday presents." Harry nodded in agreement beside her and Ron, who sat beside Harry, let out a sort of grunt that resembled a "yeah". As Haylie continued to wolf down her dinner, she couldn't wipe the joyful smile off her face. Now, Haylie had time to get some money, so she could finally buy the earrings she had lusted after her first visit to the village of Hogsmeade.

"I personally can't wait to buy Mum some stuff," Corinne added, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Haylie turned in her seat to face her best friend, "Like what?"

"I don't know," Corinne muttered, lifting her chin, thinking hard. Then her eyes opened wide and she jumped a bit in her seat. This made Haylie react the same way, but for no reason yet identified.

"What?" Haylie shot, pushing her bottom farther back on the bench.

"I want to go back to that jewelry store. You know, the Silver one. I saw the perfect bracelet in there! My mum would absolutely adore it!" Corinne said, shoving a loose piece of her dark hair behind her left ear. Haylie smiled and returned to her scrumptious feast. At first she felt as though something warm was touching her neck, but then the feeling changed. A soft, sweet tickle surrounded her collarbone. Haylie snapped her neck around to view behind herself. Nothing was there. She immediately grabbed at her neck until she found the culprit. Clutched in her palm was the silver necklace she had received from that crazy saleswoman the day at Hogsmeade. The tickling feeling faded and she gazed at the necklace, a small "H" still embedded in fine, curled letters resembling cursive. She once again felt it's magic grab her gaze and keep pulling, not allowing her to let go or even look away. Then a familiar voice cut in.

"I didn't like Hogsmeade that much," Elvin mumbled, rolling his frosty green snow peas around his plate with a fork.

"Well you just don't know how to have fun at all Elvin," Eileen retorted, glancing over at Haylie. Eileen's forehead creased and she shook her had as Haylie caressed the silver necklace between her fingers.

"Do you really still have that thing?" Eileen stopped to flick a pea at Corey Price before continuing to speak to Haylie, "I got rid of mine ages ago. That is nothing but a cheap piece of metal."  
Natalie, who sat between Elvin and Eileen looked up at Eileen, her face surprised. "I thought that the woman said it was real silver," she said, also smiling and flicking a small piece of bread at Corey Price once more.

"Don't tell me you still have it?" Eileen questioned, disapproval outlining her voice. Natalie shook her head in disappointment.

"No, I lost it," Natalie admitted, finishing her dinner and placing her fork beside the empty plate, "I really liked it to! It was pretty."

"I don't have mine any more either," Corinne exclaimed, glaring at Eileen," I put it on the bureau and never saw it again." A slight blush appeared across Eileen's face as she stubbornly denied having any part in the necklace's disappearance.

"Why does everyone blame me for every little thing that goes wrong."

"We don't," Corinne retorted, "But when someone clearly despises something and it suddenly goes missing, we can't help but be a tiny bit suspicious."

"Whatever," Eileen scoffed, fixing her ponytail. After every strand of her long hair had been slipped back into a soft scrunchie, Eileen turned to face Haylie. She then looked in all directions, trying to see if anyone was listening. When she was satisfied that no ears were intently following their conversation, she leaned in close to Haylie.

"So have you got that thing from under Elvin's mattress yet?" Eileen whispered, moving a few inches to let Corinne listen in. Haylie didn't want to talk about the problem that had eaten away at her for weeks.

"No, not yet," Haylie answered, noticing Hermione's curious face beside her.

"What are you three whispering about?" Hermione said, her left eyebrow lifting in suspicion. Haylie wished her older sister would just stay out of her problems. She didn't want Hermione or her friends getting hurt.

"Nothing," Haylie snapped, throwing her napkin on her clear plate and backing out of her seat. Eileen and Corinne followed. As soon as Haylie burst open the huge Great Hall doors and all three girls voices were hidden by 6 inches of heavy wood, Eileen began shooting questions at Haylie like bullets.

"Why haven't you gotten it yet?" Eileen demanded, almost out of breath from walking at top speed, trying to reach Haylie's side.

"I just haven't had time to sneak into the boys dormitories," Haylie replied, slowing her pace, feeling more relaxed. They were approaching the Gryffindor Tower.

"Well, I say we do it right now, while everyone is at dinner," Eileen proposed, practically screaming the password at the Fat Lady, who seemed to be knitting a sweater. The Fat Lady jumped in surprise and glared at Eileen.

"Fine! Don't get your panties in a twist dear," the Fat Lady spat, as the huge picture swung open, revealing the empty Common Room. The room felt cold as Haylie stepped inside. She let one small shiver pass before grabbing her wand and jabbing it in the direction of the black hearth. Instantly, a large fire crackled and burned, allowing heat and light to illuminate the girls' cheeks. Haylie remembered the last time she had walked into the empty Common Room, only to find her sister and an injured Elvin. The memory of that scene had haunted her for days, leaving Haylie to wonder whether she was to blame, forcing her to take action and proceed with the cloaked figure's commands. A warm hand pulled her arm toward the boy's dormitory stairway.

"Let's go," Eileen whispered, even though no one was around to eavesdrop. Haylie gave in, not wanting to fight, and knowing she needed to go up those stairs sooner or later. Hot breaths on her neck, shifting the placement of her loose hair, let Haylie know Corinne had followed. All three first-years climbed up the stairs higher and higher until they finally reached the hallway. Small wrinkles appeared on Haylie's scrunched nose as the same scent that had wafted through her nostrils a month before entered again. Beside her, Corinne seemed to smell it as well.

"Why do boys stink so much?" Corinne groaned. Eileen giggled beside Haylie.

"Do you know which room is Elvin's?" Eileen asked Haylie, not seeming to notice the stench. Haylie nodded. They were coming upon Elvin's dorm. Finally, Haylie stood in front of the closed door. She couldn't even imagine what she was going to find, as Elvin didn't seem the sneaky type.

"Come on," Eileen shoved past Haylie, "What are you waiting for? His permission?" Haylie gulped and allowed Eileen to turn the golden handle and push open the door. It creaked loudly, which punctured Haylie's ears. She narrowed her eyes into tiny slits and felt a great sense of relief when the horrible sound ceased. Having absolutely no fears at all, Eileen plunged into the room. Corinne and Haylie, still hesitant of things to come, took itty-bitty steps at a time. None of the three dorm mates graced the girls with their presence. Only their empty beds and quiet belongings loomed inside the lit room. Elvin's bed was located on the far right, pressed tightly against the crème-colored wall. His bed was perfectly made, his prized possession, a raggy old teddy bear, placed in the center. He had his own nightstand, where a few pictures of his family and few sheets of parchment called home. The floor around his bed could be seen clearly, as no objects were lying upon it.

On the other hand, the other two beds left in the room appeared to be hit by hurricanes. The one in the middle, Haylie knew to be Damon's bed and the other occupied by Hanson Jones. Both boys certainly needed some help organizing and cleaning. Corinne giggled and pointed to a lone article of clothing lying by the door.

"I wonder whose boxers those are," Corinne said naughtily, still giggling. Over near Elvin's bed, Eileen rolled her eyes in annoyance, as she leaned over to yank the mattress to the right. She suddenly stopped, not continuing with her action. At first Haylie became worried; she thought something was wrong.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Haylie asked, hurrying to Eileen's side. Suddenly, Eileen jumped around to face Haylie, her eyes wide and scared.

"Boo!" Eileen yelled. Startled, Haylie fell back onto the bed, shrieking loudly.

"Hahaha... you totally fell for it!" Eileen laughed, her hand on her stomach. Anger boiled inside Haylie, and she could feel her heart beating wildly.

"Why did you do that?" Haylie roared, certainly not laughing. This statement caught Eileen off guard, and her laughing immediately died.

"Sorry Hay, you were just acting so... nervous," Eileen told the fuming Haylie, twirling her hair, "I just stopped because i thought that you would want to be the one to look under the mattress." The heat that had risen to Haylie's cheeks cooled. She gave Eileen one last venomous glare before shoving past her friend and pushing the mattress with all her strength. The blankets on his bed fell to the ground in one huge heap, with Elvin's teddy bear rolling across the rough carpet.

"Where is..." Corinne's voice faded. No one spoke a word, mainly because no one had the slightest clue what to say.

* * *

"Let's go everyone! All first-years stay close to your older leaders! Neville put that down!" Professor McGonagall was screaming as all the Hogwarts students rushed to get a seat on the busy train. Haylie stood close to Hermione, who grabbed her hand and ran towards an open train door. Beside them were Ron, Corinne, and Eileen, who were also running full speed to claim a compartment to themselves.

"Where are Elvin and Harry?" Haylie called to Hermione over the deafening noise of hundreds of teenagers talking and laughing.

"They're coming!" Hermione screamed back, shoving a third-year girl, standing in the center of all the hustle-bustle, out of her way. Haylie's ears felt as though they would burst, with all the "Move" and "Hurry up, will you?" being screamed from one group of students to the next.

"Ow!" Haylie groaned, tripping over a broken camera lying on the floor. Glass from the lens of the camera was spread throughout the whole train hallway, even about twenty feet ahead. Finally, Hermione came upon an empty compartment and practically pushed Haylie into the wall as she hurried inside. Ron, Corinne, Eileen, Elvin, and Harry soon shoved their way through the crowds and into the small compartment.

"Don't you just love Hogsmeade days?" Ron joked, taking off his wool hat, revealing a mess of red hair.

"I don't see why we all can't just use Floo powder!" Eileen muttered, pulling off her tight gloves and throwing them on her lap. Haylie rested her throbbing head against the compartment wall, just wanting all the noise to stop. Eventually the noise did stop and all that was left was the high-pitched squeal of the train's greasy breaks and the joyful giggling of her friends' conversations.

"And then the clerk says it's not a TV, it's a microwave!" Ron says, laughing so hard, he appears to be crying. Everyone joined in, not wanting to laugh, but knowing the joke was just too stupid not to be funny.

"So where are we going first?" Hermione asked the group, trying to end Ron's long line of horrendous jokes.

"Just one more joke Hermione!" Harry suggests, looking around his circle of friends for approval.

"Yeah Hermione! Please," Eileen's pleads, curling her lower lip in her usual suck-up, puppy-dog face. Hermione shook her head.

"Fine," Hermione gives in, resting her head in her palm.

"Okay, well there was this guy who reads his copy of Witch Weekly, "Ron continues with another joke, "and he sees that a local pastor is looking for someone to ring the large bell in the clock tower above the church. Well, the man goes to the pastor and says "I want to Ring the bells!" and the pastor says, "How can you possibly ring the bell? For you have no arms!"." Hermione moans and rolls her eyes.

"Then the guy says, "I can! Watch me!"... So the guy runs up all the stairways and finally reaches the bell. So then he leans back as far as he can and rams his head into the bell, causing the bells to ring and come back and hit him back on the head. This hit him so hard that he fell down the steps and all the way to where the pastor is standing. Then a man walks up and asks "Do you know this guy?" and the pastor says, "Yeah, his face rings a bell!"."

"Oh Ron! That was pitiful," Hermione said.

"Wait it's not done!" Ron assures them, clearing his throat and stretching his long arms.

"Two days later the guy's brother, named Tom, comes to the pastor and says, "I have decided to take my brother's place as the bell ringer for this here church. It needs to stay in the family." Then the pastor says, "How can you possibly ring the bell? You, too, do not have any arms." Then Tom says, "I will show you!"... So Tom climbs all the stairs and finally reaches the bell. He, also, rams his head into the bell, which in turn comes right back and hits his head as well. So when it hits him it hits him so hard that Tom rolls down all the steps and falls out into the street. The pastor goes out and finds him. Then a man comes over to the pastor and looks down at Tom and says, "Do you know this man?"... and the pastor replies, "Yeah, he's a dead ringer for his brother."

"That was so funny!" Harry yelled and everyone cracked up laughing, even Hermione who had tried her best to keep a straight face throughout the entire joke.

"Come on everyone! Off the train!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang throughout the entire train. There was no hesitation. Everyone grabbed their belongings and plummeted off the train, running and screaming into Hogsmeade Village.

"Let's go to Honeydukes!" Corinne suggests, grabbing Haylie and Eileen's hands. All three of them ran to Honeydukes in a flash, not even waiting for their chaperones to catch up. Ass they approached the busy store, they could see the door open, welcoming all newcomers to take a peek. Outside the door, by about 6 feet, there was a stand, with dozens of people buzzing around it like bees on pursuit of nectar from a sweet rose. Haylie soon realized it was a lemonade stand. The original, pink lemonade, chocolate lemonade, lemon-lime lemonade, and butterbeer lemonade were just a few of the outrageous flavors listed on a cheap sign made of parchment and the handwriting of a tiny girl.

"Welcome all you people! I am Brandon and this is my little sister Cora! Try some of our delicious lemonade! You know you wanna," A boy, who appeared around the age of eight, yelled to the crowd of customers admiring their set-up. Beside him sat a tiny girl with blond curls and a truly innocent smile. Small dimples on her rosy cheeks added to the sunshine illuminating her round face.

"Yeah! Try some of the chocolate kind. It's new!" Cora added, giggling as an old lady in a yellow and pink polka-dotted sundress handed her three sickles. Cora then took a pitcher out of a small box beside her, pouring some of the light brown liquid into a red glass. Cora, then, stuck her hand under the rickety table once more and emerged with a wand clutched between her fingers. After a few taps of her wand, Haylie watched in amazement as the glass suddenly frosted, tiny droplets of moisture forming on the outside of the cup.

"Oh, how wonderful," the old lady gushed, patting Cora on the top of her head, allowing her curls to bounce frantically. Haylie smiled, wanting desperately to buy some from the cute little girl. She sighed, knowing she didn't have enough money with her to buy both the earrings and the lemonade.

"What's wrong?" Eileen asked, noticing Haylie's melancholy gesture.

"I don't have enough money to buy the lemonade," Haylie told her. Instantly, Eileen dropped her book bag to the ground and began rummaging through her items, sending tissues and lipstick canisters every direction. Soon Eileen popped back up to standing position with three silver coins held tightly in her palm.

"Here," Eileen handed Haylie the three sickles.

"Oh no, I couldn't!" Haylie replied, rejecting Eileen's generous offer.

"I won't take no for an answer! Any way, Vicky will just send me more later," Eileen pushed the money at Haylie. This made Haylie smile, hearing Eileen call her mother by her first name always amused her. Haylie stared at the money a moment before gazing up at Eileen and finally accepting.

"Thank you," Haylie said, giving Eileen a friendly hug, and turning to the stand, realizing she was next in line.

"What do you want?" Cora asked politely, flashing Haylie another sparkling smile.

"One chocolate lemonade, please," Haylie answered.

* * *

"Who are those kids anyway? I saw them the last Hogsmeade trip," Corinne said, licking a scoop of buttermint ice cream she had just bought at Honeydukes.

"They're the grandchildren of Mr. Honeyduke," Hermione told her, taking a bite of her own almond cone, "Brandon and Cora Honeyduke." The whole group traveled down the winding streets of Hogsmeade, eager to find the jewelry store they had visited once before. Well, at least the girls were eager enough.

"Why exactly do we have to go to that jewelry store..._again_," Ron whined, carrying a bag full of treats that he planned on sending to his older brothers. Hermione turned her head to face Ron, stabbing him with a cold stare, a stare not worth messing with. Apparently, Ron understood.

"Fine! I get it... you want me to be quiet," Ron surrendered, reading Hermione's facial expression. She nodded and turned back to Haylie.

"So what exactly do these earrings do? All the silver in that place have some sort of special power," Hermione asked, reaching in her pocket and grabbing a napkin, trying to salvage her melting ice cream scoop.

"I'm not sure," Haylie said, looking to her left and spotting the store, "Look! There it is!" All of them looked at the store in front of them. It was almost unrecognizable with all the crowds bombarding the merchandise.

"Come on! We need to get the earrings before they're all gone," Corinne yelled, pulling Haylie's free arm. Haylie quickly handed her ice cream to Harry and ran off with her friend as they twisted and turned around the flock of busy shoppers. As if it wasn't hard enough to get inside the store, it was even worse trying to reach the earrings counter. There wasn't even a single line, just a bulge of boisterous, shouting idiots trying to buy the perfect Christmas present for their ungrateful relatives.

"We'll never get in there!" Haylie cried.

"Yes we will! Repeat after me," Corinne took a deep breath before continuing, "Just...PUSH!" Corinne blasted into the ball of people, not allowing anyone to stand in her way. It seemed to be a wonderful idea from Haylie's point of view, so she also bent her head down and ran towards them like a bull, ready to push and pull her way through. Luckily, it worked. Haylie reached the counter and found herself beside a very sweaty Corinne, who let out a long relieved sigh.

"I amaze myself," Corinne laughed.

"Can I help you?" a large dark woman in her forties asked, a little sliver and gold tag on her chest, stating her name as "Rochelle".

"Yes, I saw these really pretty earrings about three months ago... they were hoops with little diamonds and blue stones...I... there! In that picture!" Haylie jabbed her finger to a thumbnail size photo of the earrings, resting on a tiny stand. Rochelle huffed loudly and shook her head.

"Sorry hun but the last pair of those earrings was just sold about ten minutes ago," Rochelle mumbled, "Would you like anything else?" This shocked Haylie. After all the walking they had done to get to the store, after all the letters home explaining to her parents why she needed the money and after all the happiness Haylie had felt on the train ride to Hogsmeade, knowing she would finally get her claws on the earrings, she was let down. There were no more left.

"No, but thank you any way," Haylie muttered, trying to plaster a semi-believable smile on her face.

"You have a nice day now, you hear?," Rochelle smiled, beginning to take someone else's request, "You shouldn't have to worry about anything at your age." Oh, how little Rochelle could have known.


	16. Sleep In Heavenly Peace

_Silent Night, Holy night...all is calm, all is bright...Round yon virgin mother and child...Holy infant so tender a mild...Sleep in heavenly peace...sleep in heavenly peace..._

"Haylie?" Hermione's voice interrupted, halting Haylie's faint whisper.

"What?" Haylie turned to face her sister, not even noticing how heavy the snow was falling or how numb the tip of her cheery red nose was turning. Now, on Christmas Eve, most of the students were gone. They had left Hogwarts to venture back to their homes, filled with love, carols, and presents. But here Haylie and Hermione Granger stood, standing beside the frozen lake, feeling the airy snowflakes melt within their identical brown locks.

"It's time for dinner now," Hermione said, rubbing her glove-covered hands together, trying to feel the tingle of heat arise from her palms. Haylie smiled, happy she could finally rid herself of the rumbling inside her empty stomach. She knew, though, that the rumbling would not fully leave her body, for hunger was not the only cause of the funny feeling within her. Deep inside her heart, Haylie longed for her mother's light kiss on her cheeks at night, leaving a tiny bit of light pink lipstick upon her skin. She wanted so much for her father's loving embrace, and his arms wrapping totally around her back. Mainly she just missed her parents.

"Okay, I'll be in in a second," Haylie replied, gazing one more time out across the huge lake, no longer consumed with ripples. Haylie realized that the lake, though cold and solid, was not any less beautiful than it had once been.

"Alright," Hermione answered, turning to walk back up the hill towards the doors, and return into the heated hallways of Hogwarts. As she peered back at her sister, Haylie wanted so much to stand where she had been for the last fifteen minutes, catching the flavorless snowflakes with her tongue. Finally, Hermione was out of sight. Before turning away to travel back up to the castle, Haylie reached out her hand to catch one last snowflake.

* * *

"Let's enjoy our Christmas Eve students! Especially the wonderful feast we have prepared, " Dumbledore said, winking at the ten students seated around the table. These ten students were the only ones left at Hogwarts for the holiday break. Haylie had just entered the Great Hall, after changing into dry clothes. She took a seat beside Hermione, who was listening intently to Dumbledore's long speech. Beside her sat Ron, who looked impatient. Haylie giggled, thinking about how much he probably wanted the food. 

"Okay everyone! Lets eat!" With Dumbledore's loud yell, a rush of warm and cold foods alike appeared in front of the hungry students. Warm biscuits, yams, and goeey-mashed potatoes came in huge bowls surrounding the main courses of ham, turkey, and pork. Many other small side dishes added to the delicious meal, making Haylie's stomach rumble even harder. Of course, no one could help themselves until Ron got his share. His hand shot out to the turkey, plucking five large pieces out of the center. Hermione forced him to settle down, making him wait until others got a chance to help themselves. His glare, filled with hunger and longing was hilarious, and even the corners of Hermione's lips began to lift into a half-smile.

"Okay Ronald. Go ahead and take some," Hermione approved, handing Ron the mashed potato spoon. He almost took her arm off as he yanked the spoon from her fingers and dipped it deep into the gooey potatoes. Hermione shook her head as she gazed at Ron's rude table manners.

"We need to clean you up," Hermione told him, reaching for the napkin beside his plate and handing it to him.

"What?" Ron asked between spoonfuls.

"Put this on your lap," Hermione ordered, still reaching out to give him the napkin.

"Why?"

"Just do it! Either that or I'll have to put it on you as a bib!"

"Fine Hermione," Ron muttered, spreading the napkin on his lap. Hermione nodded her chin, seeming very proud, and continued to consume her dinner. With one final smile at her fellow students, Haylie cut her sharp knife through the tender pork, savoring every moment of her holiday dinner.

* * *

_Jingle Bells... Batman smells... robin laid an egg... the bat-mobile lost its wheel and joker does ballet...HEY!_

"Would you shut it Corinne?!" Haylie screamed, having just been woken up by the sound of Corinne's horrible singing. She yanked the pillow out from below her head and pressed it against her ear, trying to lessen the amount of noise. To her dismay, Corinne ran over and pulled the pillow from her hands, a huge smile upon her face.

"Get up Hay, it's Christmas!" Corinne called, laughing and jumping around the room. Not wanting to leave the comfort of her soft, warm bed, Haylie squeezed her eyelids shut. The sound of Corinne's constant singing and laughing went on for five minutes before an interruption occurred.

"Oh!" a yell cut through Haylie's sleepy daze. She pulled her self onto her elbows, trying to see what had happened. Of course, it involved Corinne and her sprightly, hyper behavior. Haylie giggled as she peered down at Corinne and Hermione sprawled out across the bedroom floor. It seemed that Hermione had just entered the doorway to be plundered by a dancing Corinne. The end result was two soar and annoyed witches groaning on the shiny hardwood floor.

"Corinne!" Hermione grumbled, hoisting herself onto her knees, "Why can't you just...sit down and relax!"

"Sorry," Corinne muttered, twirling a loose hair that curled beautifully around her full, rosy cheeks. Haylie watched her big sister lift to her feet, pinch her fingers slightly so she could remove a gold thread from her purple, cotton pajama pants, and shoot a small glare at Corinne. The top she was wearing matched her pants perfectly, though the dark pink slippers on her feet did not. Hermione's puffy brown hair was put into a loose, messy bun and as usual Hermione didn't have a drop of make-up upon her face.

"Come on you two. The boys are waiting in the Common Room," Hermione said, sighing one last time at the messy room before leaving. Immediately after Hermione had wandered far down the hallway Corinne turned to the door and stuck out her tongue, annoyed at Haylie's sister.

"She is wound so tight," Corinne hissed, shaking her head. Haylie grunted, leaning over on her stomach, searching for her slippers from the dark depths of under her bed.

"Maybe she's just sick of being tripped by you," Haylie chuckled, reaching for her second slipper, "After all, you did just run into her yesterday in the courtyard."

"Well..." Corinne mumbled, not able to deny that she had been acting like a klutz for the last few days.

"Haylie! Hurry up!" Hermione's angry voice boomed from beneath the first year's feet. Repeating Corinne's gesture, Haylie stuck her tongue out towards the floor, now becoming annoyed with Hermione as well.

"Maybe you're right Cor," Haylie stated, slipping her left slipper on her foot, "She is a bit...woven tight."

"Didn't I tell you?" Corinne prodded, obviously feeling proud of her correct assessment. Now both girls were traveling down toward the Common Room where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all sitting around the giant Christmas tree, each dressed in their colorful pajamas. Ron in maroon, Harry in blue, Ginny in red, and Hermione in purple. Haylie gazed down at her own green, silk pajamas, feeling like a part of the large group. Poor Corinne had purple pajamas as well, making Hermione seem even more superior than before. Ginny was the first to spot Haylie and Corinne as they entered the Common Room.

"Hey you two! Thought you'd never join us," Ginny said, looking at Hermione and nodding. Haylie saw Hermione smiled and grab a very long present from under the tree, wrapped in the most glorious paper Haylie had ever laid her eyes upon. The gold and silver paper glistened in the light from the sidewall window and never seemed to darken, even with Haylie's shadow hovering over it.

"Come on Hay," Hermione urged, waving her little sister over to an empty spot right beside her, "You can be the first to open a present." With a smile so big it almost stretched off her face, Haylie ran over and plopped her bottom on the floor. She then snatched the gift from her sister's lap and began to examine it thoroughly. She could tell that whatever it was, it was inside a box. Smart on Hermione's part, since Haylie could not even guess what it was now.

"It's from me," Hermione told Haylie happily. Finally the suspense of it all forced Haylie to just tear into the paper, ruining the perfect presentation Hermione had made. The gold flashed even more violently as Haylie continued her tirade. She loved hearing the loud crinkling of the crisp paper as she neared closer to discovering the identity of her very first Christmas present. At last she was opening the simple brown box and so close to seeing...

"It's a broom! My very own broom! Omigosh!" Haylie screamed, squeezing the shiny, brand new broom to her chest.

"So…you like it?" Hermione asked nervously, tapping her fingers on her thigh. No answer was needed as Haylie jumped from the floor and practically feel on her sister. Both girls were tangled in a huge bear hug, deeply caring for each other.

"So did you like everything Hay?" Corinne asked, falling backward onto her feather bed.

"Yeah," Haylie told her excitedly, also leaning backward, and releasing her tired muscles allowing them to take her wherever they wished. She landed on the bed with a plump.

"Ow!" Haylie cried, turning on her side and glaring at her pillow, "I forgot about that stupid book!"

"Oh yeah," Corinne muttered, still angry with herself for not solving the looming mystery yet. Neither Haylie, Corinne, nor Eileen could come to a conclusion about the object they had found under Elvin's mattress. Knowing the identity of the object worsened their mood, as they could not understand any possible reason the cloaked figure would need it. Turning completely around till she was lying on her stomach, Haylie slipped her hands beneath her clean, lemon-smelling pillow and wrapped her fingers around the binding of the large book. Gently, since the book was rather old, Haylie pulled the book out from under the pillow, resting it, finally, on her lap.

"_Children's Songs and Lullabies_," Haylie grumbled, already knowing the title of the book by heart without even a slightly glancing at the cover.

"I think we should just put that thing away," Corinne suggested, ripping a bright pink brush through her knotty locks, "I say it's bad luck. Those are probably spells, not lullabies at all!" Haylie scrunched her nose, still not believing the book of songs had any kind of spells within it. Even though she did not agree with Corinne on that point, she did want to hide the book away, so no one could steal it. Haylie shoved herself to the side of the bed and tiptoed on the floor, not wanting anyone who may be listening to know exactly where she put it. She peered around the brightly lit room, biting her lip, not knowing where she could hide the book. Eventually she decided to just hide it away in her suitcases, which were completely empty.

"Haylie come here!" Haylie heard Corinne call from behind her, "Look! There's another present for you." Immediately, Haylie spun around, feeling the child within her scream. Clutched in Corinne's palm was a tiny red and green box, sealed shut by a sparkly, gold ribbon.

"Does it say who it's from?" Haylie asked Corinne, walking toward her. Corinne examined the exterior of the gift once more before shaking her head, no. Haylie held out her hand and Corinne gently handed it over. Though the suspense of it all was boiling inside Haylie, she just couldn't open it without giving it a quick glance-over. In fact, Haylie gave it several examinations before finally continuing with the task. The box itself could possibly be used at an ornament, since it was so glittery and the epitome of gorgeous.

"Come on already!" Corinne urged her to open the gift, her eyes wide and eager. Haylie listened to Corinne and tore into the box, feeling a tiny bit guilty about ruining a creation of such beauty. Inside the box was a blanket of thick cotton, also glittering brightly. As Haylie dug deeper, she discovered two small pieces of jewelry she had long forgotten of.

"It's those earrings!" Haylie screamed, her jaw dropping suddenly.

"What earrings?"

"_The_ earrings! Don't be so thick Corinne!" Haylie snapped, immediately grabbing them from the box and sprinting to the nearby bureau mirror. There she slipped the skinny, hooked end of the silver plated majesties through her pierced earlobe, observing her appearance in the mirror. Only then did it occur to her that someone had sent them to her. Someone, who hadn't bothered to leave her with a name. Haylie whipped around to face Corinne, who appeared just as puzzled as herself.

"Who on Earth…" Haylie stuttered, shaking her head, utterly confused.

"I don't know Hay, I don't know."


	17. Bad Luck Running In

"I have the book for you now," Haylie walked out from behind Edith Bakely's tombstone, the mixture of snow and ice spread on the dead grass crunching beneath the weight of her feet.

"Don't come any closer girl," the voice of the cloaked figure boomed, cracking uncontrollably. Haylie rolled her eyes, annoyed with the figure's behavior.

"You know I'm not gonna touch you," Haylie snapped, "After all, I've seen you enough times, I would've done it a while ago." The cloaked figure pointed to a flat gravestone, cleared off by Argus Filch after the late night snowfall the last evening. Haylie, understanding his kind of sign language perfectly, set the Lullaby book down on the flat surface, taking an immediate step backward towards the castle.

"Excellent work Miss Granger," the voice told her, snatching the binding and heaving the book under the blackness of his flowing cloak. A loud moaning sound erupted from the dark trees behind them and Haylie twisted around, searching frantically for the cause.

"What was that?" Haylie asked her voice shaky. The figure chuckled hoarsely, his voice once again cracking annoyingly.

"Afraid are you?" he questioned, arrogance and amusement evident in his tone, "If you are don't be. It's probably just a wolf…" Haylie turned to face the figure.

"A wolf killing a rodent…an _innocent_ rodent," the cloaked person finished. To Haylie's surprise the figure didn't start to laugh, as he or she usually did when something horrible occurred.

"You're disgusting," Haylie muttered, wiggling her toes around in her shoes. The frostiness of the late December air chilled Haylie to the bone, leaving her fingers and nose tingling with numbness. Her feet began to feel wet, as the snow melted beneath her, allowing freezing water to soak through her thin black shoes.

"Thank you darling, you're such a peach," the figure's voice grew amused, "Sorry but I must leave you now. I'll keep in touch."

"Please don't," Haylie shot back, turning to walk back up the hill to Hogwarts.

* * *

"Eileen," Corinne screamed running over to a short girl with bouncy red hair. Both girls embraced, Eileen dropping her bags, and jumped up and down screaming with happiness. Haylie smiled, walking away from Eileen, as she had already given her a huge hug herself. About ten feet away, Haylie could see Elvin thumping down the train stairs, struggling to keep his grasp on the three large suitcases he was carrying. 

"Do you need some help Elvin?" Haylie asked, not even waiting for his reply before seizing one of his blue suitcases with both her hands. A whoosh of air erupted from Elvin as if he had just let go of all the weight of the world.

"Thanks Haylie," Elvin said, his cheeks blushing.

"No problem!" Haylie assured him, walking over to the carriages that would transport the students back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Haylie threw the suitcase into the trunk and climbed into the full carriage. Inside Eileen and Corinne were waiting for her.

"Where did you go?" Eileen asked, putting away her compact mirror after receiving devilish stares from Professor McGonagall. Now Elvin had plopped his bottom down on the seat beside Haylie, the last available seat in the carriage.

"I was helping Elvin with his bags," Haylie told her, smiling at Elvin who in turn, blushed once more.

"Did you have fun with your Mum and Dad?" Corinne asked Elvin curiously. Only a half-enthusiastic nod followed her question and Elvin turned toward the carriage window. Corinne's eyes traveled to Haylie and she shrugged in return, wondering if Elvin had had a fight within his family. The sun shone bright on Hogwarts as they entered the grounds. Haylie looked upon the melting snow, wishing it would not soak into the earth. She wished that the snow would stay, at least for a little bit longer.

"I love the snow, don't you Elvin?" Haylie said, trying to start a conversation. Elvin shook his head "no".

"Why not?" Haylie asked.

"I don't know. I just never liked the wintertime. It's too cold and dark and…" Elvin trailed off, turning his head to face the window, "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Haylie was surprised to hear something so random come up. She did notice, however, that Elvin seemed uneasy, even scared.

"What is it Elvin?"

"Don't you hear that?" Elvin asked, his voice now shaky. Haylie stopped talking and began to listen. A faint sound of crashing reached her ears and she gazed out the window. A streak of lightning exploded beside them, but the weather remained bright and perfect.

"That's strange," Haylie said, resting her back against the seat, "I've never seen lightning when it's sunny before."

"You never want to," a small voice suddenly whispered from next to Eileen. This wispy voice belonged to Rose Forbes, who now decided to contribute to the conversation.

"Never want to what?" Corinne asked, obviously confused. Rose glanced at her and rolled her clear blue eyes.

"You never want to see lightening on a sunny day," Rose repeated, looking from Corinne to Haylie, "It means something horrible is approaching, something evil. Lightening on a sunny day is bad luck."

"Rubbish," Eileen muttered, shaking her head. Roses head jerked in Haylie's direction, her eyes now angry and defensive.

"No! It is true!" she snapped at Eileen, sticking her finger right to the tip of her nose, "I wouldn't insult luck if I were you. You never know when the good will leave and the bad will come running in." A few seconds passed by slowly before Eileen gathered her composure and blurted out what she had wanted to say since the first day of school.

"You're so…weird!"

* * *

"Welcome back students!," Professor Dumbledore announced with a stern, somewhat old-looking face expression , "I hope that your vacations were well." A loud rumbling of agreement followed. 

"Good" Professor Dumbledore said, his voice not as full of spirits as it had once been. Haylie seemed to be the only one to notice the difference in Dumbledore's eyes and she seemed to be the only one who could relate somewhat to what kind of circumstance could lead to such a troubled look.

"Let us eat!" Dumbeldore yelled, his voice raised and full. At once a glorious feast appeared in front of Haylie. Of course, she had witnessed this sight many times over the last few months but even now the freshness of the warm bread and the exciting, creative presentation of the meal made her stomach turn over with immediate delight. Though Haylie did enjoy the delicious smells of the food, she couldn't help but gaze over at Dumbledore, wondering what had washed the brightness from his eyes.

* * *

"So what did you get for Christmas Elvin?" Haylie asked a week after the welcoming feast, "anything good?" 

"I got some shoes," Elvin replied, bowing his head sheepishly. Haylie couldn't help but smile. Elvin never seemed completely content with what he was saying. Sometimes, she even doubted whether he was telling her the complete truth.

"Oh really," Haylie nodded her head, "anything else?"

"Well," Elvin's eyes rolled in all directions and he gave Haylie a funny look, one of discontent. Taken aback, Haylie studied him carefully, trying to make any sense of his odd manner. Finally Elvin decided to continue.

"I got a new pair of socks as well," Elvin gave Haylie a small smile, which immediately turned off all suspicions she had of him, "I also got a sketch pad, a book, a shirt, and new watch." Elvin suddenly punched his fist outward, making Haylie jump back with surprise. Once she had caught her breath Haylie realized Elvin was only trying to show her one of his Christmas presents. Hooked around Elvin's bony wrist was a brand-new watch of pure gold, outlined with at least a dozen cubic crystals. Haylie watched as the thin, second-hand ticked repeatedly. Tick, tick, tick…The watch seemed to almost hypnotize her. Haylie could feel her pupils focus on that one tiny blue hand, clicking one second to another around the circle.

"Haylie?" Elvin's faint voice reached her ears, immediately breaking her from the slight trance she had been engaged in. Now she dare not even take a peek at the watch, for fear of being hypnotized once more. Haylie pulled Elvin's sleeve back over his wrist, trying to ignore the faint ticking sound still reaching her sensitive ears.

"Who gave that thing to you?" Haylie asked curiously, still not allowing her eyes to wander from Elvin's face to his wrist.

"Honestly, I have no idea!" Elvin told her, "I just found a green box on my night table. There wasn't even a card with a name in it!"

"What?" Haylie screeched. Her heart seemed to stop, just for a split second, and she stared at Elvin, her eyes wide and alert. At Haylie's sudden outburst, Elvin looked confused.

"What's wrong? Is something bad?" Elvin asked innocently, peering down at his watch and then back to Haylie's face.

"No, it's fine," Haylie assured him, not sure why she reacted so strongly, "I'm fine."

* * *

"Everyone!" Dumbledore's voice echoed off the high walls of the monstrous Great Hall, as all the students were beginning their meal. Only a few heads lifted up to gaze at the headmaster, but most students rudely kept on with their own business. This fact was not lost to the old headmaster, who furrowed his brow and lifted his wand in the air. 

"_ferishmentorium_," Dumbledore chanted, giving his wand a sharp flick. At once, gasps were heard from all four tables, as the food vanished from their plates. Now, all became quiet, most understanding Dumbledore's attempt at silencing the room. All heads turned towards Dumbledore, who lowered his wand and gazed around at his confused pupils. Haylie once again noticed the sadness in his eyes, and the tenseness in his forehead. A few moments passed before Dumbledore finally cleared his throat and began to speak softly.

"I'm afraid I have some horrible news," he stated loudly, not showing a bit of emotion in his deep voice, "I am sorry too have to report this only a short month and a half after Christmas." After this comment, the crowds of students began to whisper uneasily. Hermione grabbed her little sisters hand tightly, as if Haylie was about to be taken away. Luckily, Haylie knew that was not what was happening. Haylie knew something was happening outside of their comfortable Hogwarts.

"Two children have been kidnapped from Hogsmeade," Dumbledore continued, not bothering to hush the anxious students, "Many of you have met them before. They are Brandon and Cora Honeyduke."

"Are those the children who sold us the chocolate lemonade?" Haylie gasped, turning toward her sister. Hermione's lips curled inward as she nodded in conformity.

"I'm afraid…" Professor Dumbledore interrupted the chatter, "that that is not all. We have been told that another child has been kidnapped as well. With all three of these children, a note has been found." Haylie shuddered as the headmaster said this. Mysterious letters were nothing new to her and she suddenly felt as though she was certain that the same person, who had been pestering her all year long, had branched out to other, more intense ventures.

"Each note has been designed carefully as to not give away the identification of the captor. Inside each note the same message is written. The kidnapper will keep on kidnapping the children of the muggle-born lovers until he defeats every last one of them. He won't stop this until he gets what he wants." _Or who he wants_, Haylie thought to herself angrily. At once Haylie began to raise her hand high above her head, trying to catch Dumbledore's gaze. She succeeded.

"What is it Miss Granger?" the Headmaster asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"What does the kidnapper want?" Haylie questioned, not taking her eyes from Dumbledore's. He shook his head.

"We don't know," Dumbledore told her, "Apparently, only one person, besides the captor himself, knows what he wants."

"Who?" Hermione yelled behind her. Haylie whipped around to look at her big sister. Something in her voice sounded different, something harsh. This change in Hermione's voice, rose Haylie's suspicions, but Haylie quickly threw away the thought of her sister being the culprit.

"We do not know the identity of that person either. The kidnapper has said that they have been communicating with this person for months," Dumbledore answered, pausing for a few seconds, "I guess that you are all wondering why I am giving you this information. I bet you are all telling yourselves it has nothing to do with Hogwarts….but it does. Apparently, the other person the kidnapper has been communicating with is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."


	18. One Suspect Cleared

The next two weeks went by fast and to Harry's relief Ron and Hermione were getting along very well

As soon as Haylie had retired from her dinner, she rushed up to her room. Corinne and Eileen hastily followed her, desperately wanting to converse about the kidnapping of the little Honeyduke children. On the other hand, Haylie didn't want to talk about anything. She just needed to go to her room and find the letter she knew she would be receiving. After Haylie grumbled the Gryffindor Common Room password, the fat lady allowed her to enter the tower. Haylie slammed the door shut so her friends would have to say the password as well, not to be rude to her best friends, but just to give her more time to think about her current situation. Dumbledore had just told the whole student body that Brandon and Cora Honeyduke had been kidnapped by an unknown person, who has sent letters telling the witching world that only one other person, besides himself, knows what he wants. Haylie guessed that by this other person, the captor meant Haylie herself. The problem, as Haylie saw it, was that she had no inkling of the kidnapper's wishes. He had never actually revealed what his plans or his desires were to her. Now Haylie approached her door and turned the knob, hearing her two friends stomping up the stairwell she had just climbed. Once Haylie entered her squeaky clean room she immediately saw a folded piece of parchment resting on her comforter. She flung herself toward her bed, not pausing nervously before grabbing her letter. The letter was no shorter, no longer than the norm. It told Haylie that the cloaked figure would meet her down in the Hufflepuff Graveyard at 12:30am, to discuss "business". 

"Haylie, was that other person Dumbledore was talking about you?" Corinne asked, as she and Eileen ran into the small room. Both Eileen and Corinne halted in the middle of the room, putting their hands across their hearts, panting and trying to catch their breath. Haylie turned to face them, and stuffed the letter into her jacket, which hung by the banister of her bed. 

"I guess I'll find out tonight." 

* * *

"Here's your jacket," Eileen said, handing Haylie her coat off of the bed. 

"Thanks," Haylie answered, taking her jacket and sticking her arms through the two holes provided. Eileen and Corinne stepped out of the room with her and they made their way down the hallway. As they made their journey to the stairwell, Haylie noticed Hermione's room door slightly ajar. Haylie held her arm outward to stop her friends from passing and walked over to her sister's room and gazed inside. Against the opposite walls, Holly Lutz and Ginny Weasley slept soundly, only an occasionally snore erupting from Holly. Suddenly, Haylie felt a blast of cold air and saw that the small window beside Hermione's bed was wide open. Haylie ran in and shut it, without waking the sleeping girls. Only then did Haylie notice that Hermione's bed was empty. At first, Haylie felt scared for her sister's life. Maybe she was kidnapped! Then Haylie's common sense kicked in. Obviously, if Hermione's door was open, then she opened it to exit the room. With that thought, Haylie figured that her sister had just gone to the bathroom or went downstairs to study and just fell asleep. Finally, Haylie made it out of the Common Room. The time was 12:16am. Stillness swallowed the whole school, also covered by complete blackness. This gave Haylie a small chill as she tiptoed through the empty hallways. The emptiness did not bother Haylie in the least, but the soft orange flickering of the hallway candles illuminated the dark corners and the menacing shadows of the ancient school. Haylie chewed on her lip gently as she approached the doors to the outside grounds of the Hogwarts. By some twist of fate, someone else was ready to walk out those very same doors.

"What are you doing here?" Haylie hissed as Damon Shockley appeared from the dark Defense Against the Dark Arts hallway.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Damon answered, walking up next to her. 

"Well?" Haylie demanded, startled by his sudden appearance. 

"I can't tell you," Damon said jokingly, pushing through the doors and allowing them to shut in Haylie's sullen face. She growled and pushed the doors with all her strength so she could catch up with him. 

"I demand to know what you are doing," Haylie yelled at him, walking quickly behind Damon, who still kept the lead a few feet in front of her. He rolled his eyes and stopped abruptly, causing Haylie to bump into him. She caught her footing and stood right in front of his smiling face.

"Now, I don't think it is fair that you can demand information from me, when I clearly do not have permission to do the same," Damon stated, undoubtedly attempting to sound intellectual. To Haylie's tired brain, it did not come out that way. She just sighed and kept on walking; now taking the lead in front of him. 

"Where are you going," Haylie called to him, sensing his presence a few feet behind her. It took a moment for Damon to answer.

"The Hufflepuff Graveyard." 

"What?" Haylie stopped and turned to face him, her eyes squinting to see Damon clearly. 

"I'm going to the Hufflepuff Graveyard," Damon repeated, "You?"

"Same," Haylie said, narrowing her eyes, "Are you going to visit your mother's grave again?"

"No," Damon muttered, his voice now short and angry," Not this time."

Without either of the first-years noticing it, both of them had already entered the graveyard.

"Do you know the time?" Damon asked Haylie, noticing her watch amongst the darkness. Haylie nodded and looked down to see 12:30 flashing brightly. At once she panicked and yanked her neck upward to look at Damon.

"You must leave! Go now!" Haylie screamed pushing him toward the exit. He resisted, naturally, and tried to calm the young girl. 

"What is wrong with you?" Damon asked, looking concerned. Haylie returned his expression of deep concern, for she knew that both he and she could be killed if the cloaked figure found Damon there with her. Haylie didn't want to put Damon in immediate danger and didn't want to put herself in any risk either. Unfortunately, Haylie was too late.

"Welcome Miss. Granger," the cloaked figure's gruff and raspy voice boomed from behind her. Haylie closed her eyes in defeat and then gazed up at Damon. He gazed back at her and their eyes met for a split second before Haylie turned around to face the figure. 

"Welcome Mr. Shockley, as well," the cloaked figure roared, looking from Haylie to Damon.

"Wait…" Haylie spun around to look at Damon," Have you been helping him?"

"Helping him?" Damon repeated, surprised, "I don't even know _who_ that is."

"He is speaking the truth Miss Granger," the cloaked figure confirmed, "I just decided to gather you two together tonight." 

"Why? What does he have to do with anything?" Haylie asked, glancing over at Damon.

"Why is she here?" Damon also asked, returning Haylie's glance of confusion. A laugh of pure evil erupted from within the heavy black cloaks, and both Haylie and Damon took a step back. 

"Both of you have received letters from me, Haylie from the beginning of the year, and now I wish for both of you to do my bidding."

"Wait…you've been getting letters from that thing since September?" Damon asked of Haylie, obviously amazed, "Are you that person that Dumbledore was talking about in the Great Hall? Are you the student who knows what the kidnapper wants?" Haylie nodded.

"How long have you been receiving letters?" Haylie inquired of Damon.

"This is only my first letter! I just found it on my bed after dinner," Damon exclaimed, brushing a piece of hair from his eyes. 

"I have watched you both during your whole first half of school. You both seem to have strange feelings for one another," the figure paused before continuing, "So I thought that you would work well together. I've been searching for someone to help you Haylie for some time. Mr. Shockley, here, just seems to fit."

"Help me do what?" Haylie growled, "Was the student Dumbledore talking about in there, the one who knows what the kidnapper wants, am I truly that person?" More laughter followed, which supplied Haylie with her answer.

"I will not help you kidnap innocent children!" Haylie screamed at the cloaked figure.

"Neither will I!" Damon hollered as well, moving closer to Haylie. 

"You won't will you?" the voice now sounded annoyed, and Haylie and Damon once again stepped back. Silence followed. Haylie didn't say a word and refused to remove her eyes from the cloaked figure, afraid they would be attacked. Heavy breathing reached Haylie's ears and she could feel warm air brush against her freezing cheeks. She soon realized that it was Damon, who stood next to her, also not taking his eyes away from the supposed kidnapper. 

"You don't want another event like what happened to Elvin to occur again, do you?" the figure finally said in a harsh whisper, "Because both of you will suffer the consequences if you do not obey me. Haylie, you love your friends. What if I told you I would hurt, possibly kill, Corinne, Eileen, or Elvin? That wouldn't be good to you would it? And you Damon, what if I told you I would do the same to Brent, Hastin, or Jake? That wouldn't be good for you either. So if I were you both, I would obey my commands and do as I tell you."

"Fine," Haylie snapped, "What do you want us to do?"

"I knew you would see my point of view," the figure prodded, "But I don't want you to do anything at the moment, except…find out all you can about the defeaters of the defeaters."

"What?" Haylie questioned, dumbfounded at his request. Unfortunately, the figure had now run off, leaving Haylie and Damon alone in the dark and dead graveyard. 

"Come one Haylie, let's go inside," Damon whispered, his voice sounding empathetic and calm. He grasped her arm and pulled her along, so they wouldn't get separated on the journey back to Hogwarts. All sorts of questions jumbled around in Haylie's head. Who were the defeaters of the defeaters? It just did not make sense, but Haylie had a feeling that Damon knew more than she. Finally, they reached the warmth of the Gryffindor Common room and Haylie smiled in relief when she saw Eileen and Corinne sleeping safely on the two easy chairs on ether side of the hearth. A small fire brightened the whole room, as well as heated it. Both Haylie and Damon, their eyelids heavy, fell backwards into the soft cushions of the large sofa. Each first-year took a separate end and stretched out their whole bodies. The sofa was so large that their feet weren't even touching. The warmth of the fire and the silence of the large Common Room calmed their minds. Instantly, they fell asleep. 


	19. Defeaters of the Defeaters

Only two hours passed before the light of the sun began to peak through the trees of the dark forest. Supposedly the sun is supposed to rise at 1:00am, but the sun never showed itself that quickly at Hogwarts, for the thousands of trees in the dark forest served as a shield, from the sun and from the enemies of the wizard world. Haylie sighed; opening her eyes and seeing Eileen's face close to her own. 

"Come on Haylie, wake up!" Eileen snapped in a hushed whisper. Haylie groaned angrily, and pushed herself upright, her arms aching as she moved them. At the other end of the couch, Corinne was trying desperately to wake Damon, who was lying on his stomach, snoring obnoxiously. 

"Come on Damon! Wake up already!" Corinne yelled, punching his back. He shrieked and jumped up, his chin narrowly missing Corinne's. Corinne shook her head in disgust and showed her attitude by placing her fists on her hips and tilting her head slightly.

"It's about time," Corinne muttered tiredly, "I've been trying to wake you for two minutes." 

"Sorry," Damon mumbled, his hair sticking up in all directions. He rubbed his temples, and ruffled his brown locks, messing his hair even more. Eileen and Corinne walked back to their chairs and sat down, wide-awake and ready for an explanation of the previous night's events. Damon and Haylie glanced at each other, both so tired and wanting to go to bed. Suddenly, Haylie remembered her curiosity about the defeaters of the defeaters and turned to face Damon.

"Do you know who the defeaters of the defeaters are?" Haylie asked him, her eyes wide with curiosity. Before Damon could reply, Corinne cut in with a question of her own.

"Wait! Stop right there," Corinne said, "What happened? Why is he here?"

"Was he out there with you?" Eileen asked, her right eyebrow arching highly above her eyelid. Haylie took a deep breath, and both she and Damon began to tell their tale. Eileen and Corinne couldn't believe any of it. Firstly, Damon had been their number one suspect for some time, and now it was proven that he was _not_ the cloaked figure. Secondly, they were as perplexed as Haylie was about the defeaters of the defeaters. Now, Haylie's rest-deprived eyes were beginning to burn. It was time for her to get some much-needed slumber. Damon was the first to bring this idea to the table.

"Let's continue this little question and answer session of ours later," Damon yawned, lifting himself on his feet, "A man needs his sleep." Eileen rolled her eyes, but both Corinne and her agreed after they saw Haylie also climb to her feet. 

"Let's go girls," Haylie said, "I'm tired as well." Damon and the girls parted at the separate gender stairwells, with a casual "goodbye." Now, all three girls were walking down the long hallway of dorms filled with sleeping females. Once again, approaching Hermione's door, Haylie felt a draft of chilly air. Remembering closing Hermione's open window before, Haylie poked her head inside the room to see her sister back under her covers, sleeping soundly. As Haylie smiled, she was hit by a second gust of freezing cold wind that forced the open window to slam against the wall. Not wanting any of the room's inhabitants to wake, Haylie ran over to the window and shut it for the second time in one night. 

"Why did you go in Hermione's room?" Eileen asked when Haylie entered her room. 

"The window was open again," Haylie replied, climbing into her bed.

"Open? Again?" Corinne said, confused. Haylie tried to shut her eyes and fall asleep, but the nagging feeling of dread kept blackening her mind. If Damon was not the cloaked figure, then who was it? At that moment Haylie realized that it could be anyone, even her own friends.

"friends….and family," Haylie whispered so only she could hear the fearful remark that had plagued her all night long.

* * *

"Let's go to the library after breakfast," Haylie suggested to Damon, Corinne, and Eileen. It was Saturday morning, just a few short hours after Haylie and Damon's disturbing encounter with the cloaked figure. After making up for the sleep they had lost, Damon, Haylie, and her two best friends needed to discuss the clues they had been given and what they were going to do with they information they had gained. Now all four first-years entered the library and sat down at one of the small round tables near the open glass windows. Haylie dropped her notebook on the wooden table and pulled out a chair for herself, waiting for her friends to sit down before asking any questions. As soon as they were all seated comfortably, Haylie turned to Damon without wasting any time.

"Do you know who the defeaters of the defeaters are?" Haylie questioned him, her eyes trying to read his. 

"Yes, I do," Damon answered her, taking his crystal blue eyes away from her and lowering them to the table. A sad feeling came over Haylie as she suddenly realized what he was about to explain to them. All of a sudden she understood what the cloaked figure was talking about; she remembered something Damon had told her in their first meeting in the Ravenclaw graveyard a few months before.

"The Muggle-Born defeaters," Haylie thought out loud. Though she spoke very softly and quietly, Damon heard, and peered up at Haylie. For a moment both Damon and Haylie completely understood each other. Haylie could feel his buried pain and Damon could sense her intense fear and pity. While all this was taking place, Eileen and Corinne were glancing curiously between the two, not knowing what type of ESP was occurring. 

"Um…Haylie," Corinne muttered, bending her head slightly so she could look at Haylie's lowered face. 

"Does that mean that the Defeaters of the Defeaters are the people who defeated the Muggle-born Defeaters?" Haylie asked directly to Damon. He nodded somberly. 

"What?" Eileen questioned, obviously completely confused. At this point in time Haylie blocked out all trespassing voices such as Eileen's. All she thought about was the task put in front of her.

"Why does the figure want to know about them?" Haylie asked, opening this question to all. Corinne and Eileen stared at each other blankly, while Damon seemed to lose himself to the scenic views of the Hogwarts grounds, which were widely visible through the large glass window beside their table. Immediately, Haylie also fixed her eyes upon the rolling emerald hills, still growing lushly throughout the cold winter and the lake, just now starting to melt away. Something about the scenic view eased her fear, and pushed her forward with her urgent planning.

"Do you know Damon?"

"No I don't," was his mumbled reply.

* * *

Hogwarts was usually still in the middle of the night. The students were usually sleeping silently, while dreaming of subjects unknown to any other soul. In the darkness of this night Haylie rose from her bed quickly and hurried to her bureau. She flipped through the pages of her large Muggle Defeaters encyclopedia, trying desperately to find the conformation to her newly realized answer. 

"Come on! Where is it," Haylie growled angrily, her eyes flashing. Natalie shifted under her covers, making her old wooden bed creek loudly. Both Corinne and Eileen were emerging from sleep now, as well, and stared at Haylie blankly with tired eyes.

"Hay, what are you doing?" Eileen grunted, rubbing her itchy eyes. Haylie didn't have time to answer any questions. Corinne lifted herself out of bed and tiptoed over to Haylie, peering over her shoulder at the book. Eileen soon followed, grunting miserably as she slowly made her way to Haylie's side.

"Are you going to freely tell us what this is all about or are we gonna have to pry it out of you," Eileen snapped, her face highlighted eerily from the soft golden light of Haylie's burning candle. The sweet aroma of warn vanilla wafted around the girls as they looked back and forth between each other. Finally, Haylie turned to face Eileen and took a long, deep breath.

"I just had a dream," Haylie explained, her eyes wide and alert.

"Was it a premonition?" Corinne asked, moving from behind Haylie to Eileen's side. Haylie shook her head.

"No, it was…..I don't know. I don't even remember it that well," Haylie told them. Once again Natalie kicked around in her bed, her face scrunching and her eyes very close to opening. All three girls waited till they were sure Natalie was completely asleep. They could hear her breathing softly, a sure sign she was in a deep slumber.

"All I remember is one thing," Haylie's voice fell to a soft whisper, "In the dream I found out why the cloaked figure kidnapped the Honeyduke children….and I know where the figure is keeping them."


	20. Two Lovely Rings

Haylie, Corinne, and Eileen slammed the Muggle Defeaters Encyclopedia shut. It could do no help to them on the journey they were about to embark on. Immediately all three girls hurried out in to the hallway, Corinne gently pulling the door shut behind them. The girl's dorm hallway was unusually cold and got even colder as they approached Hermione's bedroom. Haylie desperately wanted Hermione to join them. With Hermione there with her she would feel safer, more secure. Unfortunately, as Eileen pushed her door open the girls found an empty bed, with the window wide open. The cold air sent a cold chill up Haylie's spine, but this time, she just couldn't make herself go and shut it. A growing fear was beginning to absorb her mind, but she didn't want to believe it. So Haylie said nothing about that fear to her friends, who probably suspected the same scenario as she did. Without even searching around the room Haylie turned to face her two best friends.

"Let's go get Damon."

Without another word Eileen turned around and rushed out the door leaving Corinne and Haylie behind. Corinne stared deep into Haylie's eyes as if she wanted desperately to read their inner meaning. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Haylie grabbed Corinne's arm and pulled her out of the room. They could see Eileen about fifteen feet ahead, waiting for them at the dormitory stairway. Since the Hogwarts had stood upright for thousands of years, the stairwells of the large castle were beginning to crack and crumble with age. The darkness of the night made it difficult for the girls to travel down the steps quietly. Haylie heard a swoosh and then a loud thud come from right in front of her feet. A short whimper followed.

"Eileen is that you?" Haylie hissed, squinting her eyes to see through the pitch black of the congested stairwell. A figure moved in the darkness. Then a warm hand clutched Haylie's wrist and pulled hard, jolting her at first. Haylie pulled back, to prevent herself from falling forward, and helped the wounded figure lift themselves to their feet. 

"Thanks," Eileen's voice echoed through the stairwell. Corinne giggled softly but was not left unheard.

"Oh be quiet Corrine!" Eileen scoffed, slapping her friend's arm angrily.

"Ouch," Corinne whined, visibly rubbing her arm. Suddenly Haylie remembered one detail she had forgotten to address from her dream.

"Oh no! I have to go back up to the room and get the necklace!" Haylie whipped around and pushed Corinne out of the way. She stomped up the stairs, but made it to the top of the steps quietly, since Haylie always seemed to be light on her feet.

"Wait! Haylie!" Eileen called but was cut off as Haylie yelled back, "I'll be right back. Stay there!"

Within a few moments Haylie was in her room and searching around her bureau for the key to her lock-box. Finally she felt the cold outline of a metal key, nestled deep beneath the wooden cabinets. She clutched the key in her palm and struggled to fit the edge into the narrow keyhole. 

"Come on!" Haylie cursed. It seemed that the box didn't want to be opened. Fortunately, Haylie's anguish and desperation outdid that of the box and she finally heard the small clicking sound of an opened lock. Haylie smiled as she lifted the top of the old box carefully, gazing at the few pieces of jewelry she owned. Right before her, the silver necklace shone brightly from the light of the nearby vanilla candle. Haylie unhooked the necklace from the tiny wooden clasp and shut the box top. As she started for the door, Haylie stopped and looked behind her at the bathroom door. She distantly remembered Corinne and Eileen emerging from the silver store in Hogsmeade, wearing two lovely rings with dark blue sapphires studded on top. _All the silver in that store has some sort of special power, but the only way to use that power is to discover the identity and energy fuel of that power. _Hermione's words echoed through Haylie's mind, sparking her interest. Haylie ran back to her bureau and lifted the glowing candle from the blistering hot glass holder. With one glance at the sleeping Natalie, Haylie tiptoed to the bathroom door, using the gleaming flame to guide her. The door creaked as she pulled it open. That creaking, along with the eerie glow of the light reflecting off the dark bathroom, gave Haylie a creepy feeling. Corinne's jewelry box stood cornered against the peach colored walls. By pure chance, Haylie knew where the location of Corinne's key was. Haylie had walked in on Corinne hiding the key once but had sincerely promised never to steal anything. 

"Sorry Corinne, but I need these rings," Haylie whispered, as if her friend were standing by her side. She lifted the box and turned it over to see a small slip of cloth hooked to the bottom. Under the thin cloth was a tiny compartment where Corinne's key was kept. After retrieving the ring, Haylie closed the bathroom door behind her and hurried to Eileen's bedside. She lowered to her knees and reached underneath the bed, feeling around for a box. Finally, Haylie's fingers touched something hard an square with sharp edges and a cool metal lock. Haylie grabbed the box with both hands and pulled it out into the middle of the floor. From months of watching Eileen retrieve makeup and jewelry from this box, she knew that it was never locked. Eileen was too lazy to lock and unlock it every time she used it. Haylie instantly took the ring, shoved the box back under Eileen's bed and took off running out the door and down the hallway toward the stairwell. 

* * *

"We're not allowed to go up there!" Corinne snapped, managing to keep her voice soft but harsh at the same time. Haylie glared at her friend as she opened the door to the boys dormitories. 

"We need to get Damon. He's coming with us," Haylie told her friends, beginning to walk up the steps. 

"Could you at least tell us where we're _going_?" Eileen grunted, still rubbing her eyes with sleepiness. 

"Not yet," Haylie said, "Not till we get Damon." Neither Eileen or Corinne complained about this. Both of them were too busy trying to see where they were headed in the pitch black of the stairwell. Luckily, the boy's dormitory was much lighter than the girls. The horrid smell of sweat and cologne reached the girls' noses and all three hurried as fast as they could to Damon's door. To Haylie's relief, Damon's door was already open and he happened to be awake. 

"Hey! What are you girls doing in here?" Damon shouted, turning away from the desk he was sitting at.

"Shhh!" the girl's hissed. Corinne walked to the doorway and gazed down the hall, looking for any stragglers who had heard Damon's shout. When she saw none, Corinne turned and nodded in Haylie's direction. Haylie understood and walked close to where Damon was now standing.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Eileen asked from behind her. Haylie snapped her neck around to flash a glare at Eileen before turning back to Damon.

"I was finishing Transfiguration homework," Damon answered, now looking at Haylie, "What are _you_ three doing up at this hour standing in the _boys_ dormitories in _my_ room."

"I had a dream," Haylie whispered.

"Really, well I usually do as well…" Damon started, but then stopped once he saw how serious Haylie's face was. 

"I know why the cloaked figure kidnapped the Honeyduke children," Haylie told him, glancing at Damon's sleeping roommates before continuing, "And it has something to do with the Defeaters of the Defeaters."

"Okay," Damon whispered. He seemed to know exactly what Haylie planned to do and ran to his bureau to grab a pair of warm pants and his coat. Just as they were about to step out of the room, Haylie heard a small, squeaky voice.

"Damon! Where are you going?"

Haylie looked back into the room and saw Elvin jumping out of his small bed and running over to the group. 

"Go back to bed Elvin," Damon ordered, wanting to continue with their journey free from any interruptions. 

"Can I go with you to help?" Elvin asked, looking over at Haylie pleadingly. His eyes appeared so gentle and desperate that Haylie breathed a sigh of deep guilt. If she went on without him, she would surely feel bad for leaving behind a close friend.

"Alright, but we need to be quiet and we need to be quick," Haylie told him.

"You're just gonna let him come with us…" Damon cut in, obviously angry with Haylie's decision.

"Yes! Yes we are Damon," Haylie snapped back, glaring loathingly at him. No more words were spoken as they all hurried across the hallway and down the stairs. The Fat Lady did not wake when they opened the Gryffindor Tower door and scampered down the long, dark corridors. Heavy shadows outlined very crack, corner, and object of the large corridors. The candles perched high up on the walls illuminated the darkness enough for the children to se their way, but the small noises of the night followed them wherever they stepped. 

"Here it is," Haylie said, crouching next to a large statue. She squinted her eyes to see through the darkness and could finally make out the small writing etched into the very foot of the marble. _You are a smart one! Excellent job finding this hidden passage way! You have earned the right to open this hidden door, but I warn you…_

The writing stopped. It looked as though it was rubbed, almost completely erased. Luckily, Haylie knew how to open it already.

"Ich bin Äuslander und spreche nicht gut Deutsch," Haylie whispered into the ear of the almost 5 foot statue.

"Was that German?" Corinne asked, looked completely surprised and perplexed at the same time.

"Yeah," Haylie said, watching the statue dissolve into a million tiny specks, "Let's go."


	21. A Stroll on Pebble Trail

A cold breeze slapped Haylie's cheeks as she stepped into the middle of Hogsmeade's empty streets. Not a soul dared wander around Hogsmeade in the middle of the night, for fear that a nasty drunkard would stumble out of The Hog's Head and create trouble. The only lights came from the moon dangling in front of them, as if attached to a long string, being hidden and found over again by the moving clouds. 

"Come on," Haylie whispered, glancing back at her friends who were searching around them for any indication of where they were.

"We're in Hogsmeade," Elvin finally acknowledged, sheltering his eyes from the bright glare of the moon's creamy glow. Eileen nodded her head in agreement and stepped in front of Haylie.

"Why are we…," Eileen stopped abruptly as Haylie whipped around urgently with a panicked glare in her eyes. Behind her was a tiny trail made out of dirt and small crushed rock that disappeared into the trees beyond it. The first years watched as a tiny rounded pebble rolled slowly down the small bumps in the dirt towards the group. Finally, the rock rolled all the way to Haylie's feet, where it stopped, spinning slightly before settling. Haylie peered down at the pebble and picked it up, rubbing it between her fingers. The rest of the group watched Haylie's eyes lift upward from the rock, back to the small trail entrance.

"Who's there?" Haylie yelled. Not even an echo replied her call. A few moments passed by before Damon clutched Haylie's arm and pulled her back toward the middle of the road.

"Haylie what are you doing here?" a voice snapped from behind them. Haylie turned around to see her sisters face, scrunched with disbelief and slight anger.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Haylie snapped back, both sisters staring at each other with complete disbelief. Once the immediate shock wore off, Haylie gazed at her sister with slanted eyes, no longer wide open. 

"I…um…had some business here to take care off," Hermione mumbled nervously, glancing behind her left shoulder. 

"Well, I don't have time for this," Haylie said, trying to keep her voice soft, "We're here on some business as well." 

"Oh really? And who gave you permission to roam around Hogsmeade in the middle of the night Haylie Brigitte Granger?" Hermione demanded, her fists taking their usual place on the sides of her hips. Haylie rolled her eyes and shoved past her older sister.

"Don't you walk away from me! "

"Keep your voice down Hermione!"

"I most certainly won't if you keep defying my orders! You are going against school rules young lady…" 

"Hermione are you there?" a male's voice called from behind the trees. Haylie and Hermione both tuned to peer at the trail where a dark shadow was approaching them. Finally, the shadow disappeared and was replaced with Ron Weasley, red hair and all.

"Oh, Ron! I have been looking for you!" Hermione said, running over to her friend and wrapping her arms around him. Haylie, along with her group of friends, all stood quiet and glared at Ron and Hermione.

"So this was the _business_ you had to attend to?" Haylie snapped. Hermione turned to look at her little sister with a confused expression. After a few seconds Hermione's eyes widened and she practically leaped a foot away from Ron. 

"No! Not that! Me, Ron, and Harry all came here to gather clues about the Honeyduke kidnappings," Hermione glanced at Ron then back at the group of first years, "Then we got separated and I was starting to think something happened to the two of them." Hermione turned to Ron once again.

"Where's Harry? I thought you two were together!" Hermione said, her voice quiet but urgent. Ron shrugged his shoulders and it was apparent to all that stood before him, that he had no clue of Harry's whereabouts. A heavy wind suddenly swept through the main road of Hogsmeade, sending a chill through Haylie's bones. The air blew between her open fingers, which made Haylie realize that she still clutched the small white pebble between her fingertips. She briefly glanced over at the trail from which it came, but immediately turned her eyes away. Somehow the mysterious trail seemed to have a hold on her, which Haylie certainly did not like. Feelings of helplessness washed over Haylie as she started to think over her plans for this little escapade they were about to embark on. She realized she didn't have any plans, none at all. 

"Come on, let's go," Haylie ordered the rest, trying to push those doubtful thoughts out of her mind. Somebody grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, her eyes filled with selfless worry. Haylie took a deep breath and turned all the way around to face her big sister.

"We're also here for the Honeyduke kidnappings, only….we're here to save them," Haylie told her, her eyes drifting over to Damon's. He nodded his head and stepped up next to Hermione.

"I think we need to split up," Damon told everyone in a loud whisper, "It'll probably be safer."

"How will that be safer?" Corinne asked, looking between Hermione and Ron, "They lost each other when they split up!"

"Yeah, but we have a huge group! If we run around Hogsmeade in a group of eight people, we'll for sure make a lot of noise. Plus, it'll take longer to find where the kids are."

"There's one problem Mr. Know-It-All," Eileen cut in sarcastically, "Then it'll be two against this evil person! How are the two that are unlucky enough to find him going to survive? Plus, we won't be able to communicate with each other! So who's gonna come to our rescue if we do get attacked?" Silence followed Eileen's comments. Even Damon seemed a bit uneasy, knowing that she had good points. Corinne was biting her lip so hard that Haylie thought she would actually make it bleed, while Elvin nervously started to draw pictures with his shoes in the dirt below his feet. Suddenly Haylie realized her own capabilities.

"I have the rings!" Haylie told them excitedly, pulling them out of her pocket, "These are the Ringer Rings we got from the silver store! They're kind of like walky-talkies!" 

"But you only have two, there would have to be more groups than that," Damon said, receiving a glare from Elvin.

"We have three!" Corinne exclaimed, reaching into her coat. She shuffled around in her pocket a little bit before emerging with a bright green ring clenched between her fingers.

"It's Natalie's. She let me have it, since green is my favorite color and she didn't want it anymore," Corinne told Haylie, reaching her hand out to give it to her friend. 

"You'd send us out with less than four people in a group? We'll die! I don't wanna die," Elvin whined, bowing his head sadly.

"No one is going to die Elvin," Haylie reassured him. Every person in the group stood in thought, trying to think of what to do.

"Let's set up the groups first and see how many we would need," Hermione suggested, thinking, as usual, logically. Haylie agreed and turned to her friends. 

"Ok…. " Haylie stood on her tip toes, counting each person with her fingers. There were a total of eight people, counting Harry, who Hermione was set on finding before they continued their dangerous mission. As it turns out, Hermione didn't have to wait long.

"Harry!" Hermione ran up to him and gave her friend a hug, Haylie just kept on thinking, not stopping her train of thought to greet Harry.

"Ok…we'll have three groups," Haylie told the group, glancing around her shoulder to make sure she didn't forget anyone, "The first group will be Harry, Ron, and Corinne. Then the second group will be Hermione, Eileen, and Elvin. The… me and Damon will be together."

"Maybe we should make two groups of four, since there are only two people in your group," Harry suggested to Haylie, looking between her and Damon. Haylie shook her head violently. 

"No! We need to be quick, and the more groups we have, the faster we will find Cora and Brandon. I figure that each group should have a sixth year in it, so I split you three up," Haylie explained, pointing to Ron, Hermione, and Harry, "Plus, me and Damon were the ones receiving the letters, so I think we'll be fine."

"What letters?" Elvin asked from behind the darkness. Haylie glanced nervously around the group. She could see Hermione's blue eyes flicker in the moonlight, surprisingly not with shock or anger.

"We'll explain later," Damon said suddenly, realizing that time was ticking away as they stood contemplating the stature of their groups, "Each group will get a Ringer Ring…Corinne, just keep the one you have… Ok… are we all ready?" Haylie looked around at each group of three and nodded her head, signaling for them to push forward. Harry, Ron, and Corinne headed the main street, as Hermione, Elvin, and Eileen walked across the road toward the opposite forest behind Zonko's. Haylie watched them disappear into the pitch blackness, before following Damon's lead onto the dark trail beside her. Between her fingers, Haylie caressed the small, smooth pebble, trying to forget its mystery as her and Damon walked down a small trail deep within the Hogsmeade Forest. Neither of them even noticed the small crooked sign made out of Birch wood posted beside the trail entrance, clearly stating: 

_**Pebble Trail**_

_**a.k.a. The trail of a hundred Muggle-Born tears.**_

_Historical Location of more than one hundred Muggle-Born deaths._

_**SAID TO BRING BAD LUCK TO ANY MUGGLE-BORNS.**_

_**NOT OPEN TO PUBLIC!**_


	22. The Perks of Silver Jewelry

"So…" Damon muttered nervously, his hands stuffed deep inside his pockets. Both Damon and Haylie were still walking down the long trail, neither of them exactly sure if they should make awkward small talk. 

"So…" Haylie mumbled, quickly glancing at Damon, but immediately looking back to the ground. More awkward silence followed as both first-years kicked around the small pebbles blanketing the dirt pathway. The full moon shone brightly through the cracks in the crooked, almost snaky trees of the forest and Haylie gazed up at the creamy yellow light. She could see clouds floating high above the trees, sometimes shielding the Earth from the moon's milky glow. Haylie was never superstitious at all. In fact, she laughed at anyone at her old elementary school who would stay home on Friday the 13th, or would freak out if they accidentally broke their cheap pocket mirror. All of a sudden, though, Haylie began to dislike the shape of the full moon hanging among the stars. Old stories of horrible happenings that took place on nights of the full moon suddenly flooded her mind. Doubts shot through her like poison, making her feel weak and vulnerable. Damon's voice forced her to peal her eyes away from the glowing ornament in the sky, instantly bringing her back to her senses.

"So…Do you have any more of that magic silver jewelry?" Damon asked Haylie, observing Haylie's Ringer Ring, which he had asked to borrow for a while.

"Yeah," Haylie answered, taking it back from him and putting it on her right index finger, "Why?"

"Well, if the rings have special powers, maybe other kinds of jewelry from that store also have powers," he suggested, suddenly peering at Haylie's bare neck, "How about that necklace?" Haylie's hand traveled fast to the silver necklace hung around her neck. It was the necklace she had received the first day the silver store had opened, and she had worn it almost everyday since.

"I don't know whether it has any powers," Haylie said truthfully, bowing her head and loosening the clasp. Once she finally got the clasp undone, Haylie handed the necklace to Damon, who squinted in the dim light. The stood silent for a moment, while Damon observed the necklace closely, running his finger over every chain and every jewel. Suddenly, Haylie heard him sigh, not with nervousness or impatience, but with relief.

"There's a button," Damon informed her, moving in closer so Haylie could see it too, "Should I push it?"

"I don't know…do you think it could be evil?" Haylie asked, biting her bottom lip nervously. 

"I don't think so," Damon told her, "The rings weren't evil or anything, so why would this be?" Haylie pondered this for a moment, glancing from the necklace to the full moon and back again.

"Alright, go ahead," she said, instinctively taking a few steps backward. Damon smiled eagerly.

"Here we go!" Damon said excitedly, pressing his thumb down softly on the small silver button. All of a sudden a huge flash of light erupted around them. Haylie turned her head and covered her eyes, trying to keep herself from being blinded by the glow. Then it stopped. Haylie looked back to where Damon was standing and saw he had also shielded his eyes. Now both were gazing at the only light that was left from the amazing flash. Words started to form slowly above the jewels of the necklace.

"Congratulations, you are the proud owner of a hidden silver map," Damon read softly, "The power this necklace possesses is none. No powers. The only thing special about this necklace is that it will guide you through any place you would like to go. Just push the button once more to turn the map off. Good luck!" 

All of a sudden the words disappeared and the two first years were left in the cold darkness that had consumed them before. Haylie gazed at Damon. He didn't seem to be moving at all.

"Damon?" Haylie whispered nervously. A few seconds passed quietly. Then she finally heard Damon's voice.

"Hogsmeade!" Damon suddenly yelled. Haylie jumped back, startled, and found herself shaking, with her right hand pressed against her chest. Obviously Damon had been thinking of a way to use the power and had discovered what to do, because all of a sudden a huge hologram of a Hogsmeade map appeared in front of them. Haylie smiled and looked over at Damon who returned her grin happily.

"This is so cool," Damon said, gazing in awe at the map.

"Damon and Haylie!" Haylie yelled at the map, smiling even wider as she saw two tiny dots appear in the middle of the map, labeled with their names.

"It's a map of Hogsmeade," Damon said, "and we can also see where everyone is at all times." Haylie studied the map for a moment before beginning to twirl her earrings with wonder. They were the beautiful blue-green earrings her secret admirer had given to her for Christmas and they felt cold against her warm neck.

"My earrings! They're from the silver store too!" Haylie exclaimed. Damon turned around and smiled shrewdly.

"I just don't know how they work," Haylie continued, her face falling slightly, "There definitely isn't a button on these." Haylie began to unhook the back of one of her earrings before Damon seized her arm.

"Stop! You don't need to take them out to work them. In fact you need to keep them in your ears," Damon told her, "All you need to do is say a spell and they will alert you when any danger is near. Including evil wizards, so we should probably…"

"How do you know about these earrings?" Haylie asked him, her eyes narrowing slightly. A thought overcame her but it was impossible. Haylie was so sure Elvin had given her these earrings, it all made sense. Obviously, Elvin had some sort of crush on Haylie and had had one since the first day of school, so automatically Haylie had assumed he had been her secret admirer. Now, though, the tables were turned. Could she have been wrong? Could another person possibly have a crush on her?

"Were you the one who gave these to me?" Haylie asked Damon, not even requiring an answer. Even in the dark of the night Haylie could see the tips of Damon's ears turn bright pink, followed by his cheeks. 

"Yeah, I knew you liked them and I knew you didn't have enough money on you to buy them….so I thought I'd get them for you," Damon admitted, tugging on the collar of his coat nervously. Now Haylie could feel her own cheeks turning a bit rosy as well.

"Well…thank you…I really love them," Haylie whispered, embarrassment turning her voice shaky. Both first-years shuffled their feet around nervously, making the pebbles beneath their toes rustle and roll far down the pathway. Luckily, after a few moments, Damon ended the awkward silence.

"Okay…so….to make the earrings work you must have them on your ears and say the spell _alvardio kiomanda_," he told Haylie. Haylie hooked the earring back through her ear lobe and took a deep breath before saying the spell loudly. When nothing happened, Haylie glanced over at Damon.

"So they're supposed to alert me when danger is near? I guess we're safe right now then," Haylie mumbled, laughing nervously. 

"Yep," Damon grunted, pressing forward down the pathway. Haylie walked faster so she could keep up with his fast pace as they walked through the forest. A rustle in the bushes startled Haylie. She flinched and a tiny scream erupted from her lips. Instinctively, she grabbed Damon's arm and scooted behind him. They both stopped and gazed at the bush, almost in full bloom as it was the beginning of April. Tiny white petals fell from the branches of the oversized bush and drifted like feathers toward the stone pathway. Haylie knew she had stopped breathing, but couldn't bring herself to start again. She could hear the beating of her heart grow faster and faster and quicker and quicker. Fear pulsated through her veins and even her hair seemed to go limp from the strain. Damon didn't say a word, but she could feel his arm grow cold under her grip. 

"Who's there?" Damon's shaky voice called. Haylie bit her bottom lip nervously as she waited for an answer. None came. 

"Hello?" Haylie managed to whisper, knowing fully that Damon was the only person who could hear her. The branches started to rustle once more, and Haylie squeezed Damon's arm harder than ever. To Haylie and Damon's relief, the culprit of the rustling bushes was no more than a stray cat. It purred softly and glanced up at the two humans before racing into the trees. It disappeared within seconds. Haylie finally realized that she was still squeezing Damon's arm and immediately released, feeling extremely embarrassed and insecure.

"Sorry…I mean…um….if danger is coming, what do the earrings actually _do_?" Haylie asked, her cheeks blushing bright pink. Damon didn't seem to notice her sudden flash of anxiety.

"The earrings will start to vibrate and will glow a really bright blue," He told her knowingly. Almost as if on impulse, Haylie could feel a violent vibration numb her ears. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see a creamy glow of light gleaming from her earrings. 

"Like that?" Haylie questioned frantically, knowing she was witnessing both the earring's indicators that danger was near. Damon's tan face suddenly looked very pale and he nodded his head in confirmation. Once again, Haylie whipped around to gaze behind her. Her long brown hair slapped her cheeks from the force and quickness of her movement. About twenty feet ahead, Haylie could see more rustling leaves and branches, and this time the danger that was coming seemed bigger.

"That definitely isn't a cat," Haylie choked, almost unable to pressure the words out of her mouth. 

"Get ready to fight," Damon whispered from behind Haylie. She nodded knowingly, her courage rapidly disappearing with each second gone by. 

"Haylie? Is that you?" a voice came from the darkness. Almost immediately, Haylie shoulders dropped with relief and her fists unclenched at her sides. The loud, unruly voice belonged to Eileen.

"Eileen?" Haylie called, standing on her tiptoes to see clearer over the tall and long bush branches. A shadow passed over Haylie's feet as Eileen appeared from behind the branches and stumbled out onto the open trail.

"Hey," Eileen said, trying to fix her misplaced hair, "What's up?" She squinted as the bright light from Haylie's earrings flashed over her face. Haylie briefly touched her earrings, not sure why they were still flashing.

"_Nichto alvardio kiomanda"_ Damon said, his voice cracking slightly. Immediately, the flashing and vibrating stopped and Haylie turned to Eileen.

"Why are you all alone? Where are Elvin and Hermione?" Haylie asked worriedly. Eileen sighed and rolled her neck in circles, obviously sore and tired from not having any sleep. 

"They were right behind me…" Eileen started, but stopped and gazed behind her when she heard the sound of a boy screaming in pain. A girl's angry grunt followed and within seconds Hermione's head popped up from behind the bush.

"There they are," Eileen finished, turning back to Haylie and Damon, while still messaging her neck, "I told you I wouldn't lose them." Hermione shoved the large branches aside and walked into Haylie's full view. Her hair was all amuck and Haylie thought she could see tiny thorns wedged in the giant ball of knots resting on Hermione's head. Hermione smiled at Haylie, but then snapped her head around and proceeded to stare angrily at the bush for a few short moments.

"Come on Elvin! You're not terribly hurt! You just tripped for goodness sake!" Hermione yelled, waving her hands around wildly. Haylie peered at Damon, who appeared to be, even through the darkness, smirking. More grunts could be heard as Haylie and her friends watched the bush rattle and shake, sending a few freshly bloomed leaves to the ground. At last, Haylie saw Elvin crawl miserably out of the bushes and collapse on the ground, a few drops of blood trickling from a small gash on his right cheek.

"Hey Haylie," Elvin mumbled, looking slightly embarrassed, "Hey Damon." Haylie gave him a small reassuring smile, while Damon's face fell into a cold stare, which made both Haylie and Elvin somewhat uncomfortable. Elvin could tell that Damon wasn't very happy to see him and tried to avoid his glowering eyes. Haylie knew why Damon was acting so strange. He was suspicious. Damon's eyes flickered from Elvin to Hermione to Eileen, observing each one carefully, searching for tiny clues to something bigger, something evil. On the contrary, Haylie didn't want to consider that one of her friends could be the cloaked figure, especially Hermione. Her elder sister's name had come up continuously with the hidden identity of the cloaked figure, but Haylie wanted desperately to forget that night when Hermione had disappeared from her room, leaving the small window above her nightstand wide open. Haylie squeezed her eyes shut. The image of Hermione's window banging against the clean, white walls of her bedroom, allowing the icy winter wind to blow through the halls of Hogwarts, gave her a chill she would never dare to the forget.


	23. It's Not Always Obvious

"We have to split up again," Haylie urged everyone, peering around her group of friends, "we can't stop and chat while Cora and Brandon are out there in danger. Not to mention Harry, Ron, and Corinne."

"Haylie's right," Hermione said, grabbing both Eileen and Elvin's arms and pulling them back into the dark underbrush of the forest. Before they were out of earshot Haylie saw Elvin turned around and wave wildly.

"Bye Haylie! Bye Damon! We'll see you soon!" he shouted so both Damon and Haylie could hear his far-off farewell. Haylie waved back, even though Elvin was now turned around and being scolded by Hermione, probably because he had practically let the whole forest know they were there.

"Come on Haylie," Damon said sternly, "We need to find the Honeyduke kids fast so we can get out of here." They started to walk quickly down the trail, occasionally stopping to take a quick check around them. Noises erupted all around them when they stopped. Such noises as crickets chirping, leaves rustling, and tiny rodents crawling through the bushes and up the trees created a stir in the woods, making true the old saying "The forest never sleeps." All of a sudden Damon stopped so abruptly the Haylie ran right into him, her nose digging into his shoulder. She jumped back, rubbing her throbbing nose, and gazed around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Damon? What's wrong?" Haylie whispered, taking a step closer to him.

"Nothing," Damon said, turning around to face her, "Just put your earrings back on."

"Why?" Haylie suddenly felt frustration explode inside her, "They didn't help us before! There was no danger around and they were glowing! Obviously they don't work right. "

"Oh, they work alright," Damon snapped, turning around and beginning to walk further down the trail, "You just choose not to see it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Haylie yelled, running as fast as she could to catch up with Damon. Once she was walk right behind him she reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn around and look her way. His face looked annoyed now, but Haylie knew hers must have looked angrier. Haylie definitely did not like it when people outright told her she was wrong.

"What I mean is that there was evil there and the earrings have tried their best to warn us about that evil," Damon told her knowingly, jerking his arm out of her grip, "Fortunately, I listen to their warnings, unlike _you_, who always thinks she's right and never ever takes the time to see what is right in front of her own _large_ nose."

"Excuse you!" Haylie scoffed, stomping her foot viciously, making the pebbles beneath her toes scatter in all different directions, "I do to listen…..and….and I don't have a big nose!" Damon rolled his eyes and started to turn around, but Haylie, once again, stopped him.

"Haylie just put the earrings on! Okay?!" Damon yelled. Haylie noticed that his voice seemed pleading in some way, so Haylie begrudgingly put on her earrings.

"Thank you," Damon muttered, his voice sounding both annoyed and relieved.

"You're welcome," Haylie mumbled back, avoiding his eyes as they walked even farther down the trail. Haylie crossed her arms in front of her chest, letting a "humph" sound emerge from her throat. When she finally chose to look at Damon she saw him shaking his head and whispering angrily to himself.

"I can hear you, you know," Haylie lied, taking pleasure out of pushing Damon's buttons. With this, he stopped abruptly and started to talk, but this time he was still facing forward.

"Haylie….I'm just trying to make you see," all of a sudden Damon stopped talking and whipped around, his eyes wide and excited, "Haylie! Take off your necklace!" At once Haylie knew what he wanted them to do.

"Ohmigosh! I completely forgot about that," Haylie said, running her fingers around the silver chain, trying to find the clasp. Once she finally unhooked the clasp, she held it out on her flat palm. Damon stepped toward her and started to fiddle with the necklace.

"I can't find the button…oh wait! Here it is!" Haylie suddenly saw the necklace start to glow with a gleaming pearl beam.

"Hogsmeade," Haylie heard Damon yell and all of a sudden the necklace flashed brilliantly and finally flattened out in the form of a Hogsmeade map.

Damon finished by saying several peoples names, "Cora Honeyduke, Brandon Honeyduke, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Elvin Danebridge, Corinne Daney, Eileen Maloney, Damon Shockley, and Haylie Granger." All of a sudden a number of tiny black dots, labeled with everybody's names appeared on the map. Most were moving, except for four. Haylie recognized the first two as being Damon and herself, while the other two were labeled Cora and Brandon Honeyduke.

"There they are!" Haylie said, unable to disguise the excitement in her voice. She glanced over at Damon, expecting to see a smile on his face. She was surprised to see that Damon was definitely not smiling, in fact, he appeared frightened.

"Damon, what's wrong? Isn't that great? And look…Eileen, Hermione, and Elvin are right near them! They'll be found and safe and…." Haylie stopped when Damon suddenly took off down the trail, his hair blowing wildly in the wind.

"Damon! Wait!" Haylie shouted, clicking the tiny silver button on the necklace and waiting for the map to disappear before running after him. He was too far ahead for her to catch up to him right away, so Haylie followed him, all the way down the path through twists and turns and finally into a large field, hidden within the trees and bushes. It was a very large field, with tall grasses and only one large tree stump smack dab in the middle. Toward the left side, Haylie could see a small wooden house, which appeared to only have one floor. It looked disheveled and abandoned, with missing shutters and the wooden looked as if it was molding, as it was starting to turn green and weathered. Haylie could see Damon running towards it at full speed, not even stopping to tell Haylie what he was planning on doing. Before Haylie could make up her mind on whether she wanted to wait for Damon or follow him inside the house, she heard a familiar girl's voice calling out her name. At the far corner of the field behind Haylie were Hermione, Eileen, and Elvin, all running frantically to join her.

"_Grassioshorto_," Hermione yelled, clutching her wand and tapping it in the air. All of a sudden the tall grasses that had reached as high as Haylie's knees were now as short as though freshly cut. Haylie gave her sister a thankful smile and turned back to the house to see Damon and two children emerge from the front door.

"Damon! Thank goodness!" Haylie yelled happily, running toward Damon, Cora, and Brandon. She gave both of the Honeyduke children long hugs and she could feel tears swell inside her eyes. They were finally found and would soon be safe. Once she had let go of Cora, Haylie stood up straight and went in to give Damon a hug. To her dismay Damon was glaring straight ahead at Hermione, Elvin, and Eileen.

"All three of you stay back!" Damon yelled, digging his hand into his robes and emerging with his wand, alert and ready.

"Damon? What is this?" Haylie asked, confused and scared. She didn't like seeing Damon turn angry like this, especially not with his wand being pointed straight at Hermione.

"Remember how I told you that the earrings had worked in the forest when they went off? Well who was near us when the earrings sensed danger? These three," Damon told her, not removing his eyes from Hermione, Elvin, and Eileen, nor releasing his firm grip on his wand, "The cloaked figure I one of these three Haylie." Haylie gasped, taking a step backward so that she was behind Damon. Something inside her made Haylie truly believe that Damon was speaking the truth.

"_What?!_" Eileen snapped, her voice sounding both angry and surprised. She immediately placed her hands on her hips in her signature "annoyed" pose, "You've got to be kidding me." Damon gave her a venomous stare before moving his eyes from one face to another, examining their features, making them feel small and alone.

"Haylie," Hermione whispered, taking a step forward, her arm outstretched. Almost instantly, Damon leaped in front of Haylie, his wand pointed right at the tip of Hermione's nose.

"Stay back!" he growled, "If any of you come near Haylie or the children, I'll use my wand."

"Oh no," Elvin whimpered from behind Hermione, his eyes looking scared and sullen. Haylie moved out from behind Damon and signaled for Hermione to move back. She blinked for a few seconds before acting on Haylie's order. She moved all the way back to where Eileen and Elvin were standing, forming a straight line. Haylie looked from Hermione's blank face, to Eileen's annoyed pose, and finally to Elvin's terrified eyes.

"This is ridiculous Damon!" Haylie said, her voice higher than usual, "How could any one of these three be involved? What would they be after? We're all in Hogwarts for goodness sake!"

"Haylie! Listen to me!" Damon snapped back, "The cloaked figure has been asking for certain things right? What were they?"

"Well," Haylie tried to remember the cloaked figure's requests," He wanted the passwords to all four houses and he asked for a book of children's lullabies, which I got from Elvin's room…"

"You were the one who took my lullabies book?" Elvin suddenly gasped, his face looking more embarrassed than anything. Haylie nodded to him with a slight smile, before turning back to Damon.

"He didn't really want much else, but he told me he was after someone," Haylie mumbled softer, "He told me I was a tool to get who he really wanted."

"And you never figured out who that really was?" Damon asked, his eyes occasionally glancing at the three suspects.

"No," Haylie muttered regretfully, "But we do know all of this has something to do with the Muggleborn Defeaters and the Defeaters of the Defeaters." Haylie turned her face toward the house and then looked back down at the children, who were standing so close to Damon that they were practically hanging off him. Cora appeared to be crying softly, while Brandon patted her lightly on the back. Haylie could feel her eyes sting slightly and she turned back toward Damon and her friends.

"They have nothing to do with any of this!" Haylie yelled at Damon, even though he knew he was probably going to prove her wrong. She was correct.

"Haylie, are you blind? The earrings went off when those three were around us! This means one of them, or even all three of them, are a danger to us! There's also the fact that the cloaked figure had to have known us because they knew all about our…fighting and our lives and our friends.," Damon looked angry now. Haylie could tell that he was so sure that one of their friends was the cloaked figure. At once, she trusted his judgment. Haylie gazed at Hermione, Eileen, and Elvin. They were all looking expectantly at Haylie, as if asking her whether she believed him. She now realized that she did.

"Cora and Brandon," Haylie now turned to the Honeyduke children, who lifted their swollen eyes toward Haylie's, "Do you know which of these three people is the person who took you? Do you know who the cloaked figure is?" Brandon took one frightened glance at Hermione, Eileen, and Elvin before answering Haylie.

"Yes," Brandon whispered so only Haylie, Cora, and Damon were within earshot.

"Can you tell us?" Haylie prodded, trying to make her voice sound as calm and sweet as possible.

"No," Brandon answered, lowering his head slightly.

"Why not?" Haylie asked, her voice sounding sterner.

"Because the cloaked figure said they would kill us if we told anybody!" Cora chimed in, her voice loud and clear. Haylie closed he eyes for a few seconds and shook her head.

"Haylie?" Damon's voice ended her moment of self-pity. She stood up.

"Okay, which one of you is the cloaked figure?" Damon asked, with a demanding tone in his voice. It didn't take long for Eileen to break the silence.

"Well, it's definitely not me! What is with you people always believing that just because I have a _slight_ attitude that I'm evil or something?" Haylie would normally give her friend a smile to reward her for her spunk, but now was not the time. Even Eileen was a suspect. Haylie looked between Hermione and Elvin, waiting for one of them to speak up. Haylie wasn't surprised when Hermione was the first to talk, after all, Elvin had always been very shy.

"Haylie, you know me better than this. You know I would never do any of this…" Hermione said, her voice cracking.

"Than why were you missing from your room with the window wide open two nights in a row?" Eileen interrupted.

"Shut it Eileen!" Haylie snapped, now looking back at Hermione. It was apparent, though, that Hermione had said what she wanted to say. All of a sudden, Haylie heard a loud crackling sound, like that of candy wrappers being crumpled between someone's fingers. Haylie looked around until she finally spotted a little light shining on her Ringer Ring. Someone was trying to call her. Haylie pushed the side button and heard Corinne's voice.

"Haylie? Damon? Are you guys there?" Corinne asked, her voice sounding shaky.

"Yeah I'm here, Corinne. What's wrong?" Haylie answered back, speaking into her ring loudly.

"Where are you guys? We're on the main trail," Corinne said, pausing for a second. Haylie could hear two male voices softly in the background. Obviously Ron and Harry were trying to decide on which way to go. Haylie smiled, thinking about how it's always the women who ask for directions.

"Just keep walking straight down the trail; it will lead you to a huge wall of bushes. Once you're there, just run through the bushes and you'll be in a huge open field with an abandoned house right on the brim. That's where we are. Hurry, we need backup," Haylie finished, not even waiting for Corinne's response before returning her attention to the suspects.

"Anything else you want to say Hermione?" Damon asked, his hand still clutching his wand tightly.

"It's not me," Hermione whispered, her eyes digging deep into Haylie's.

"And it's certainly not me!" Eileen scoffed, "I don't even know how you could think that after I've helped you all this time."

"Then there's only you left…" Damon turned his wand on Elvin. Haylie peered over Damon's shoulder and saw Elvin, his eyes still as frightened as ever and his hands fidgeting nervously. Then, to Haylie's dismay, Elvin's expression changed to one of smugness and wickedness. He stood up straight and his eyes were now flashing darkly.

"Well, since you called in backup, I might as well get the show on the road," Elvin said, grinning and walking forward, "After all, now since you've found me out, maybe you could give me a better name than _The Cloaked Figure_."


	24. Brace Your Broomsticks

"El…Elvin?" Haylie stuttered incredulously. Beside her, she could feel Damon shift uneasily. Brandon and Cora were clinging to Damon and Haylie, Cora whimpering softly. Haylie stole a glance at Hermione and Eileen, who were standing completely still, both of them with their mouths wide open and their eyes clouded unbelievingly.

"What?" Elvin questioned arrogantly, breaking Haylie's trance, "None of you have a better reaction than to stare blankly at each other? Come on, I expected more out of you lot."

"Why?" Haylie spoke up, her eyes tearing up quickly, but her forehead scrunched in anger. She watched, surprised, as Elvin's own face twisted with hate.

"You know why Haylie," Elvin snapped at her, "I've been telling you about it throughout the whole year!" His anger seemed to grow with every word. Haylie, not feeling the pity she usually felt for Elvin, crossed her arms across her chest and walked towards him. She made her way one step at a time, ignoring the horrified looks her sister was giving her. She was almost near to him, only a few more steps and she would be only inches from him…

"Haylie! Hermione!" Harry yelled as he, Ron, and Corinne emerged from within the Hogsmeade Forest. Immediately, Haylie stopped and whipped around, running toward them. She didn't waste any time in explaining her plan of getting Brandon and Cora to safety. It wasn't exactly the best or safest plan, but Haylie had minimal time to think, let alone come up with ways to rescue two young children, with almost no supplies. She grabbed Ron's arm with her right hand and Harry's hand with her left and pulled them aside.

"Summon your Quidditch broomsticks," Haylie whispered harshly, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Elvin hadn't tried anything.

"What? Why?" Harry asked, reaching under his robes and pulling out his wand.

"I need you to take Brandon and Cora to safety and get someone to help," Haylie said, taking out her own wand, "I'll summon mine as well…just in case."

_"Accio broomstick!"_ Harry said softly, swishing his wand gently.

_"Accio broomstick!"_

_"Accio broomstick!" _Haylie finished, a mischievous smile appearing on her face, "How long do you think it will take for the brooms to get here?"

"Not long," Elvin's voice answered from behind Haylie, "_Accio broomstick_!" Haylie's smile fell and she looked over at Harry and Ron, her eyes wide with panic. Suddenly she felt Elvin next to her and begin to twist a piece of her hair, which was hanging loosely below her shoulders, between his fingers. He was smiling until Haylie reached over and slapped his hand away. His smile disappeared and he crossed his arms across his chest irritably.

"What? You didn't think I knew you were plotting something? I'm not stupid Haylie, no matter how hard I tried to play it off that way during classes," Elvin said, his voice a little louder than usual, "I'm the master of plotting schemes. I've been plotting all year! You were all oblivious to what I was doing! Even you!" Elvin snapped his head to the left and glared daggers at Damon, who returned them, his wand still out and alert.

"Even Damon didn't know what I was up to and he's my roommate!" Elvin was now yelling, but he didn't sound angry, he seemed to be mocking them, "And Ron and Hermione even saw me writing one of the letters I sent to you and they didn't even question my motives at all."

"You were writing to your sister and…" Hermione stepped in, but was cut off by Haylie.

"Elvin doesn't have any brothers or sisters! He's an only child!" Haylie realized, screaming it out loud purposely. Elvin gave her another evil smile.

"So you remember our little chat on the boat, do you?" Elvin questioned Haylie smugly, his eyes sparkling viciously, "I'm surprised you can remember some small, pointless fact like that but you can't even figure out who your enemy was. After all, I think it's been obvious."

"You! …"Eileen was now walking toward Elvin, her eyes flashing dangerously. Haylie stepped in front of her, stopping Eileen from getting any further from Elvin, who didn't look at all pleased. He took one small step toward the two girls and stopped, his left eyebrow raised. Next to Haylie she could feel Eileen's muscles tighten and her face soften. She was scared.

"You know…"Elvin muttered, his eyes scanning Eileen's entire body from head to toe and back again, "I never really liked you. You always had too sharp a tongue. But these things can be fixed…"

"I don't think…"Eileen snapped, but stopped after receiving shushes by almost everyone in the small group still standing in the large field. Haylie glanced at Elvin nervously, anticipating his reaction.

"So you still want to open that mouth of yours don't you?" Elvin hissed, "Well, as I said before, that can and _will_ be fixed…._sealiomundo_!" Hermione shrieked from behind Eileen and Damon sent a disarming spell Elvin's way. He dodged Damon's spell and sent the same one back to him, sending Damon flying across the grass. Haylie stared over at Eileen, who's mouth appeared to be clamped tightly shut with no signs of opening. Horrified, Haylie gazed at Elvin.

"I'm not in the mood for this," Elvin mumbled grumpily.

"You'll never get away with this Danebridge," Damon growled from several feet away, where he was lifting himself off the ground. His wand appeared to have left a large gash across his cheek and blood was dripping down and falling from his chin.

"Get away with what? I haven't even done what I've been meaning to do," Elvin replied, glancing over at Haylie, "I haven't got who I did all this for. After all, these children were just ploys…. heck…they could even be called_ bait."_

"Who do you want Elvin?" Harry asked, stepping out in front of Eileen. Elvin shrugged his shoulders innocently, teasing with Haylie and her friends.

"Well, it's definitely one of you people," Elvin admitted, his eyes flashing, "But…I don't know if I'll tell you who it is just yet…I want it to be a surprise when I kill them."

Soft moans were coming from Haylie's right and she looked over to see both Cora and Corinne crying, tears streaming down their faces.

"Why are you doing this?" Corinne sobbed from beside Ron, "We're innocent people. We were your friends…"

"Oh be quiet Corinne!" Elvin snapped, "You never really liked me. None of you did except Haylie."

"That's not true!" Hermione yelled back, her curly brown hair falling in front of her eyes.

"Yes it is!" Elvin roared, his voice becoming deeper and deeper, "But I didn't mind…I had a plan…since before the school year started…." Haylie watched in horror as Elvin's eyes drifted upwards and a huge smile spread a across his face. Everyone turned to see three broomsticks flying like bullets through the sky directly towards Haylie, Ron, and Harry. A fourth broomstick appeared from behind the tops of the tress and flew about a hundred feet behind the others.

"I guess I can give you all a head start," Elvin said, looking directly at Haylie, Harry, and Ron, "It's not like you'll get away. I've been flying broomsticks my whole life. I was even in the miniature Quidditch league when I was younger. I was even named MVC. Those were some good times."

"MVC?" Ron questioned, his eyebrows lifted higher than Haylie had ever seen.

"Most Valuable Chaser," Elvin hissed, sounding a tiny bit offended that Ron didn't recognize his well-earned title.

"But when we were teaching you how to fly…you weren't that good," Haylie whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Elvin let out a laugh so high and loud that it startled both Eileen and Hermione, who jumped at least a foot in the air each. Suddenly, an old broomstick twirled around Haylie and, narrowly missing her feet, land a few inches in front of her toes. Haylie instantly reached down and grabbed her broomstick tightly before gazing behind her at Ron and Harry. Harry and Brandon were already lifting into the air, while Ron was helping a shaky and tear streaked Cora straddle her legs over the broom. Haylie turned to Damon.

"Don't let him hurt any of you! I'm going for help!" Haylie yelled to him, waiting for his nod of approval. Once she received it, she hoisted her left leg over the one side of her broom, lifted it up and heaved herself and the broom through the air. The freezing wind whipped her face harshly, inflicting sharp pains across her cheeks with every slap. She didn't dare sneak a peak back at her friends. There was no time for her to get scared and there definitely no room for mistakes. She could se the trees of the forest zoom quickly below her, all of them blurring together in one big splash of green.

"Oh!" Haylie yelped as she looked up and saw one enormously tall tree appear directly in front of her pathway. She dodged it narrowly and breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and she almost couldn't breathe. She could see Ron's red hair flying in the distance, but could no longer see Harry. The night was too dim and his jet black hair blended in with the darkness.

"Hey Granger!"

"Oh no," Haylie whispered, closing her eyes for a few brief seconds before turning to look behind her. Elvin was on his broom, catching up quickly, smiling and waving just like he had done the day before in between classes. She couldn't believe how fast he was flying. Only a few short months ago she had been outside on the Hogwarts grounds trying to teach him how to fly for Quidditch tryouts. As it turned out, he had known how to fly all along.

"He was even a MVC for goodness sake!" Haylie hissed to herself, mostly angry at her own ignorance, "How could I be so stupid." Unexpectedly, Elvin sped up and flew beside Haylie, staggering her balance on her broom and almost sending her down into the dark depths of the trees below her. Elvin laughed once again, and Haylie glared at him.

"You can't stop me Haylie!" Elvin yelled over the deafening wind.

"Wanna bet?" Haylie shouted, jeering to the right and dipping downward toward the upcoming Hogsmeade road. Obviously, Elvin followed her, catching up right away. Haylie knew that she wouldn't win this fight on her broom. Elvin was just too fast and too swift on his broom. Her chances of getting reinforcements were better on the ground. Finally, she ducked over the roof of the Silver store and land on two feet, her shoes skidding on the tiny rocks covering the road. More rocks flew in the air and hit the back of Haylie's robes, letting her know Elvin had also reached the ground unscathed.

"So Granger," his voice stung her ears, "You wanna know who I've been after all this time?" Haylie turned around slowly, her wand ready. She stared deep into Elvin's flaming eyes.

"Yes. Of course I want to know," Haylie's eyes narrowed, "Who is it?"


	25. A Sky Set in Flames

"Who is it Elvin?" Haylie repeated, watching him carefully, never loosening her grip on her wand. He took a large step toward her and let go of his broomstick. It made a soft thump as it hit the ground. Haylie shuddered. It was early April so the midnight winds were still a bit chilly. She would have given anything to be in her warm bed at that moment, but she needed to know who Elvin planned to harm.

"Who do you think it is?" Elvin asked, obviously trying to anger Haylie. She felt determined not to let him get to her. Haylie knew she just had to go along with him.

"I don't know…Probably Harry," Haylie admitted, realizing just how obvious that answer was. Elvin smiled.

"Nope," Elvin said, taking another small step toward Haylie, "I'm not working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I'm in this for myself. I have my own personal reasons."

"What reasons?" Haylie asked, truly curios. She wanted to know what would make someone result to kidnapping children and planning to kill a fellow student. Elvin's smile faltered and he crossed his arms across his chest. He then looked away from Haylie and peered at their surroundings. They were standing in the middle of a deserted Hogsmeade roadway out front of the Silver store where, during the daytime, was busy with shopping wizards and witches. If Haylie wasn't so consumed if her conversation with Elvin, she would have wondered why no one had seen them or heard them yet, but she did nor. At the moment her whole world was Elvin and his plan.

_"What reasons?"_ Haylie yelled at him, half hoping that her screaming would wake a Hogsmeade resident. No such luck.

"Don't yell at me girl," Elvin roared back, "I'll tell you when I'm good and ready."

"Well can you hurry up," Haylie snapped, glaring at him, "I need my sleep. We have Easter vacation in 2 days and I would like to make my train. After all, I should get back home just in time for some Buffy reruns. If I miss those, I _will_ kill you."

"Don't joke with me Granger", Elvin hissed, glowering at Haylie.

"I'm not joking with you. The last episode I saw was the musical episode and Spike and Buffy kissed at the end. I need to know what happens after…"

"Stop being stupid!" Elvin yelled. He was starting to become restless now.

"I'm guessing you don't like _Buffy the Vampire_ _Slayer_ do you?" Haylie said, now truly joking with him, trying to get him to talk, "Or is it you just don't like the whole Spike/Buffy relationship? If that's the case then we might just have to have a little…"

"Stop talking to me about a stupid TV show! You're just trying to buy time!"

"So what if I am?" Haylie placed her fists on her waist and tilted her chin upward to let him know that she meant business. He repeated her action, also showing her that he wasn't playing. They stood there for a moment, glaring at each other. Haylie was the first to break the deafening silence.

"When you were hurt…in the first couple days of school…"Haylie paused and stared at her shoes, "Did you set it all up? Nobody really knocked you out…did they? It was all part of your plan."

"Yeah, of course," Elvin laughed, "I couldn't let you figure out that the cloaked figure was me. I needed you to stay completely in the dark." Haylie lifted her eyes to face him.

"That's why you sent me to go find that lullaby book out of your bed…you wanted to take all attention away from you," Haylie realized, shaking her head.

"Yeah," Elvin said as-a-matter-of-factly, "Back to my previous question….Who do you think I'm after?"

"Fine Elvin, "Haylie gave in, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to keep warm, "I'll play your little game…. Is it Damon?"

"He would be the obvious choice, wouldn't he? After all, I've hated him from the moment I saw him," Elvin grunted, his voice angry and coasting on hysterical. Haylie nodded slightly, agreeing with his statement. Both Damon and Elvin had simply loathed each other from the moment they laid eyes on one another. Interestingly though, Haylie never would have guessed Elvin would turn evil over Damon. It never occurred to her that someone so quiet and introverted could be plotting something as horrific as kidnapping two innocent children and tormenting someone else for months with threatening letters.

"What are you planning to do to this person you are _after_," Haylie bent her fingers in quotes then returned to her beginning stance. Elvin's eyes narrowed.

"What do you think?" Elvin snapped back, sounding angry but twisting his lips into a naughty smile. Haylie shook her head, a look f pure disgust on her face.

"Kill them," a male's voice came from behind the two first-years, beyond the trees. Both Elvin and Haylie darted their eyes toward the corner of the silver store, where a tall shadowy figure was emerging from the trees. Haylie focused her eyes, trying to see who it was, and smiled happily when she saw who it was.

"Ron! Are the kids okay?" Haylie shouted, unable to hide the relief from her voice. He gave her a half smile before turning to Elvin. Elvin stared him dead in the eye, leaving his facial expression perfectly neutral. The orange sun was beginning to rise beyond the forest, making the clouds above them a shimmering crimson. Although the sky seemed to set ablaze, the air still blew chills across Haylie's body, even tickling her tiny, hidden toes. She shivered and pulled her robes closer to her body, gazing at Ron and Elvin who seemed to be in some kind of staring contest, both refusing to steal a glance around them.

"Just tell us who you are planning on hurting and we'll make sure you get the help you need," Ron said sternly, his eyes still not leaving Elvins, "You do need help Elvin."

"Whatever Weasley," Elvin grunted, clearly brushing off Ron's suggestion, "You'll know soon enough. I just want to wait till everyone gets here," Elvin snapped his head in Haylie's direction, his eyes drifting to Haylie's Ringer Ring, " That way no one will be warned."

"You're a little too late for that Danebridge," Ron exclaimed smugly, "Harry probably has half of the Hogsmeade and Hogwarts guards on their way." Elvin moved his head up very slowly; not stopping till his gaze was perfectly set on Ron, his eyes flaming brilliantly. Elvin took a step forward, forcing Ron to take a step back. The tension grew and the wind ceased. It was as if Elvin had cast a spell, stopping the world from turning round. Haylie watched in horror as Elvin lifted his wand so slowly that she could see Ron's face change every inch it rose.

"Elvin…"Haylie let out a faint whisper, almost like a sigh. Elvin's head tilted back.

"That wasn't a very smart move Weasley," Elvin smiled, "Because now that I'm on a time constraint, I 'll just have to kill you right now."

"So it was Ron?" Haylie asked unbelievably, "All this time, he was the person you wanted to kill?"

"Why did it take you this long Danebridge?" Ron questioned, not losing one bit of his sense of humor, even in this dire situation, "Didn't have enough guts to finally off me?" Haylie stared at him in disbelief. Here Ron was talking to his possible killer as if it were all just a game. By the look in Elvin's eyes she knew it was not.

"What would be the fun in killing you right away?" Elvin prodded, "I like a bit of fun. It helps to let off some steam after a long day of classes and Potions homework. I don't care for Potions that much. I'm more of a Care for Magical Creatures guy myself"

"Right," Ron muttered, obviously seeing the irony in his statement.

"_Leomentryio_!" Elvin yelled, flying backwards and landing hard on the cold dirt road. Ron also soared through the air, skidding along the rocky trail pathway, sending small pebbles in every direction.

"What?" Elvin jumped to his feet, not understanding what had happened to him.

"I'm a wizard too you know," Ron spat, shaking the tiny bits of rock off his robes, "I do know defensive spells." Now, Elvin seemed angry and he thrust his hand forward, shooting another spell Ron's way. Ron dodged the spell by jumping into the bushes and emerging with his wand at ready.

"_Sonyonzio_!" Ron yelled, a yellow spark shooting from the tip of his wand. Once again, both boys flew opposite ways and both jumped up again, ready to fight. Haylie searching all around her, looking for her friends and half expecting them to arrive with a fleet of the Ministry's finest, but no one came. She bit her lip nervously as Elvin and Ron went at it, both appearing to know when the other would strike. Afraid for Haylie's life, she decided to stall.

"Stop this!" Haylie demanded, stomping her foot on the ground as hard as she could. Dust swirled around her feet as the two boys stopped solid and gawked at her, not believing she would actually command them to discontinue their battle.

"Just answer this question for me Elvin," Haylie sighed, tears swelling in her eyes, "Why do you want to kill Ron, who has been nothing but kind to you since you met him." Haylie watched as Elvin's chin start to tremble profusely. He jerked his face away from both Haylie and Ron so they could not see his face, twisted more now with pain then with anger.

"To get revenge for what the Weasleys have done to my family!" He suddenly cried out, his voice strong but shaky all at once. This abrupt response took Haylie aback. She didn't expect him to react so strongly. All of a sudden Haylie could hear footsteps in the distance. It sounded as if a group of people were running toward them at full speed, snapping branches, crunching leaves, and cutting through frozen air. Haylie watched as Haylie, Damon, Eileen, and Corinne emerged from the shadows, all red-cheeked, holding their wands firmly in their palms.

"Don't!" Haylie yelled to Damon who appeared to be casting a spell. He gave Haylie a questioning look before realizing she meant. Slowly, with a hint of hesitation, he lowered his wand, keeping his eyes on Haylie, waiting for a signal.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, his eyes wide, "Why would my parents kil your parents?"

"They were the ones to catch them. They were the ones who took them to Azkaban. They were the ones who got my mum and dad convicted!"

"For what?"

"For killing muggle-borns," Damon suddenly added, his eyes now off Haylie and onto Elvin, "His parents were members of the Muggle-Born Defeaters." Everyone peered over at Damon, whose face seemed to be stuck in a permanent expression, one of anger.

"How do you know?" Haylie asked, amazed at this revelation.

"His parents killed my father," Damon answered, his expression still not shifting. A soft weep erupted from Corinne, her head bowed and her hands covering her red eyes. Haylie herself began to tear up and she wiped her nose, whish was running from the cold morning weather. She now understood everything.

"He speaks the truth," Elvin admitted, now turning back to Ron, "Since I don't have anything more to say and Damon seems to be at a loss for words, I think I better kill Weasley now. After all, I never did like you anyway." Elvin and Ron once again held out their wands, set at ready for a fight, but Elvin decided to do something else first.

"Oh, by the way," Elvin said, gazing into the eyes of every single person standing before him, except for Corinne who was still weeping so hard that she could barely move, "I never liked any of you." Then he did the unthinkable. Elvin turned his wand toward Damon and screamed "_Gavada Deradga_", a spell meant to kill quickly, but painfully. The sky now seemed illuminated with all shades of ginger, rose, and scarlet, creating the illusion that the clouds were set ablaze by some force more powerful than even a wizard or witch could imagine.


	26. One Last Letter

"No! Damon!" Haylie screamed as Damon's knees gave way and he fell to the ground, lifeless, without even as much as a yelp of pain. She ran toward him but was stopped by Ron who pushed her over to Hermione who took Haylie in her arms and stroked her hair soothingly. No one said a word. Only heavy sobs could be heard from both Haylie and Corinne. Ron gaped at Damon's body, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he turned to glare at Elvin.

"Look what you've done Elvin," Ron growled, his face bright red from anger. Elvin's face was also cheery red, though his blush came from the hot sun, which was now spreading a shadowy glow across the countryside. A large beam of light illuminated Damon's face, his eyes closed and dead. Haylie let out another huge sob, realizing she would never be able to look into his brilliant blue eyes ever again. Suddenly, a force greater than hatred came over Haylie and she could feel its power surging through her body. Her pulse quickened and her pain seemed to intensify, mixing with her anger and magic to abruptly stop her tears from flowing. She gazed up at Elvin, her eyes flashing. Hermione looked down upon her sister, fear in her eyes, and she quickly grasped her younger sisters wrists to keep a strong hold on her. Hermione instinctively knew her sister's power and definitely did not want her to use it.

"Don't do anything you'll regret Haylie," Hermione whispered in her ear, releasing her sister and backing away slowly. Haylie peered back at Corinne, Hermione, and Eileen, all three coping with their fear and grief differently. Corinne was still sobbing horribly, while Hermione stood still, her arms crossed calmly. On the other hand, Eileen had her wand out and ready to fight.

"Let me at him," Eileen spat, rushing toward Elvin, wand in hand, "I'll defeat his scrawny little…" Haylie grabbed the wand from her fingers and wouldn't let go. Eileen stared at her in sheer amazement, her fingers still in the same position they were when she was holding her wand. Slowly, she lowered her arm and held out her palm.

"Give it back Haylie," Eileen demanded, glancing at Elvin and then back at Haylie, "I won't do anything to him. I'll stay out of it." Haylie nodded and gave her friend a small smile, thankful that Eileen wouldn't interfere and get herself killed like Damon had. She handed over the wand and turned to stare Elvin right in the eye, but she couldn't. Elvin's eyes were turned and gazing at Damon's body.

"Not what you wanted, was it Elvin?" Haylie asked with fury present in her voice, "You just wanted to kill Ron. No one else."

"Shut up," Elvin muttered under his breath, obviously affected by Haylie's words. She had plucked his heart strings.

"All this time you wanted revenge for what happened to your parents," Haylie continued, acting as if she didn't hear him, "You wanted to kill Ron and harm his family. Well, I guess you did help your parents by finishing what they started."

"Shut up Granger," Elvin whispered more loudly and sternly. Haylie knew she was causing him pain.

"What was that? You want me to be quiet?" Haylie kept going, letting the words pour out of her like water, meant to drown his filthy heart, "Why? You should be proud, shouldn't you? You finished what they started. You killed the last remaining member of the Shockley family." Elvin's lip was trembling now and his eyes were filling with tears.

"Damon's dead, Elvin. Just like his parents are. All because of the Danebridge family," Haylie finished, seeing that there was no other way of hurting. The pain he must have been feeling at that moment filled Haylie's heart with sadness. She never wanted to hurt him, but there was nothing else she could do at the moment. She couldn't let him harm anyone else.

"Stop it! Just stop saying these things!" Elvin yelled, pressing his hands against his ears and falling to his knees. Tears started to flow from his eyes, while he lowered his head to the ground, just a few feet from Haylie's feet. His moans of pure grief filled Haylie's ears as well as echo throughout Hogsmeade. Finally, his cries died down and he pushed himself back onto his knees and he peered up at Haylie, his eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. Normally, Haylie would wonder about her appearance after a major episode of bawling, but now was not the time. Elvin and Haylie's eyes connected and for a moment they both understood each other, both knew what the other was going through and what they were feeling. Elvin finally sealed the deal.

"I'm sorry Haylie," Elvin whispered shyly, but fully meaning his words.

"I'm sorry too, Elvin," Haylie answered sincerely. A few seconds of silence ensued before that stillness was shattered.

"_Stupefy_!" a voice screamed, the spell hitting Elvin, causing him to fall to the ground, flat and stiff. Everyone looked up abruptly, expecting to see Harry with reinforcements. Amazingly, the voice came from non-other than Damon Shockley, who had risen to his feet with his wand still aimed directly at Elvin's back. Haylie gawked at Damon for a moment, not quite sure whether he was an apparition or truly alive. Finally, she came to realize that he was real and very alive. She then ran across the road and flung her arms around his neck, suffocating him in a huge hug.

"Uh, Haylie," Damon stuttered, obviously making hand signals behind her back, because Hermione immediately demanded that she let go of him. As she released him she made sure to look into his eyes, the eyes she, just a few moments ago, though she would never gaze into again.

"How…"

"I definitely should win an Oscar for this one," Damon said smugly, his sense of humor never faltering. Haylie smiled up at him, just now realizing how much he had grown from September, physically and mentally. She gave him another small hug before walking with him over to the others.

"Oh thank goodness! " Hermione cried, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Ron, Eileen, and Corinne smiled at him warmly and everyone admitted their happiness for Damon being alive and well. After everyone had gotten over the initial shock of Damon not being dead, they all turned to examine Elvin, who was still lying frozen on the road.

"I guess we better…"Ron started but was then interrupted when he saw Harry running down Hogsmeade Street, leading at least two dozen other witches and wizards behind him.

"Oh my, is he dead?" Mrs. McGonagall asked, her hand over her mouth in a "gasp" expression.

"No, he was just stunned," Damon answered. McGonagall whipped around to face him.

"Is anyone hurt?" she questioned, looking around frantically.

"Well, Damon died," Eileen told her, giggling loudly.

"WHAT?" McGonagall gasped, staring at Damon as if he was a ghost.

"Are you…a spirit?" she asked, looking Damon up and down with a weird expression on her face.

"No, he didn't actually hit me with the correct spell. In fact, all the spell did was push me to the ground. I just acted to be dead so he wouldn't kill me or anyone else," Damon told her, not able to hide his smile.

"Oh," McGonagall chirped, fixing her hair and walking away to speak to some Hogsmeade residents who had heard the screaming and decided to wander out onto the street. The sun was now fully raised in the sky and the first signs of daylight began to consume Hogsmeade. Canaries were singing in the trees and wizards and witches with carts began to roll them out into the street. Eileen yawned and pushed past Damon and Haylie, muttering something about getting some sleep.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Haylie agreed, following Eileen up the path towards the Honeyduke's passageway to Hogwarts.

* * *

_Two months later…the final day of school…_

"How's Elvin doing?" Haylie asked, resting on one of the larger tombstones in the Hufflepuff Graveyard, a place she had become all too familiar with over the last school year. Now she was visiting this place for the last time before she made the trip back to her muggle home. Of course, though, she wasn't alone.

"He's doing great. Professor McGonagall told me that he's doing well at St. Mungo's and may even be allowed to come back to school next year," Damon answered, also sitting on a gravestone, his mother's gravestone, "Of course, he'll be watched over carefully. _Very_ carefully."

"That's wonderful," Haylie said, a smile brightening up her face, "I'm glad he'll be coming back. When he wasn't the _Cloaked Figure_ I really liked him, he was just really nice."

"Yeah," Damon didn't seem as enthusiastic as Haylie, with good reason. Having someone try to kill you and almost succeeding definitely doesn't leave a good impression. Haylie fully understood and expected Damon's apprehension.

"I can't believe that we're almost technically second-years," Damon continued, a smile now appearing on his face, "It's great."

"We won't technically be second-years till September 1st," Haylie corrected him, now just trying to tease him.

"Yeah, but being _almost_ technically second-years is better than being _technically_ first-years," Damon added, Haylie's teasing not phasing him one bit. Haylie giggled.

"That makes no sense," she said, pushing herself off the gravestone and onto her feet.

"Yeah it does," Damon snuffed, "Everything I say always makes sense."

"Yeah right Damon," Haylie added sarcastically, reaching the gate of the graveyard and opening the door, "Hermione's calling us. We better go get ready for our train ride."

"You know I'm right!" Damon yelled to her as Haylie walked through the graveyard gate and started up the hill, smiling from ear to ear. She could hear him close the gate behind them and she gazed up at the large Hogwarts castle and each of the four towers that seemed to hold up the skyline. Just above the Gryffindor tower she could see a tiny brown speck moving closer and closer towards her. Next to her, Damon had stopped and was gazing at the same tiny brown speck flying through the sky.

"What is that?" Haylie asked him, squinting her eyes against the blinding sunlight.

"It's an owl," Damon answered, walking past her to go meet up with Brent, who was calling his name from the top of the hill.

"Yo, Damon! What's up man?" Brent yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking, "Hey Granger, your sister told me to tell you to come get your stuff! It's time to go lovebirds!" Haylie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Brent irritated her more than ever. Now, she could finally see the owl in full view and snatched the letter out of the owl's talons as it finally flew atop her head.

**_Dear Haylie,_**

**_Thank you from saving me. I will always be in your debt and I promise, I am no longer "The Cloaked Figure". I'll see you next year. Say hello to Damon and Ron for me._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Your New Friend Elvin Danebridge_**

Haylie smiled and stuffed the letter in her jeans pocket. Up ahead Damon was waiting for her, eagerly awaiting the trip home.

"Who was it from?" Damon asked, searching her hands for the letter, but coming up short. Haylie grinned and pulled out the now folded letter from her pocket and twirled it between her fingers.

"I do believe this is the last letter we will ever receive from _The Cloaked Figure,_" Haylie told him before adding one more thing, "Oh, by the way, Elvin says hello." Damon nodded, understanding her perfectly, as they opened the Hogwarts entrance and walked inside. From way up the staircases they could hear Hermione's voice.

"Ronald Weasley! Why can't you ever fit these socks into this suitcase?" her shrill, irritated voice echoed loudly throughout the corridors, causing all the people around Haylie and Damon, including Eileen, Corinne and Natalie who were already packed and ready to go, to snicker. Haylie laughed and took Damon's hand.

"I do believe that is our cue to hurry upstairs before we feel the pain of Hermione's wrath," Haylie joked, pulling Damon with her up the stairwell.

"Poor Ron," Damon said sincerely, but still smiling all the same.

"I wonder if that's how we'll be in five years," Haylie questioned, turning to look at Damon as the stairwell jolted and moved to another section of the castle. Damon squeezed her hand tighter as they entered Gryffindor Common Room.

"I hope so."

**_THE END_**


End file.
